You've Got A Friend
by R.S. Magic
Summary: When Regina ends up feeling something is missing from her life, it's Emma who inadvertently gives her what she needs. This is the beginning of Regina and Emma's friendship, which blossoms into so much more. SQ with soft OQ and CS moments. Sweet family moments, humor, angst, romance...
1. Chapter 1

You've Got A Friend

Regina was feeling restless lately. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Henry had long forgiven her and accepted her back into his life. Having her son with her once again should have been all she needed. Deep inside of her was a voice that she was desperately trying to ignore. That voice was a familiar one she had shut out a lifetime ago.

 _Love. You need love._

Regina shook her head with an aggravated sigh. Love was the last thing she needed. Love was weakness. Henry was the love of her life and he was all she needed. Henry was more than enough. She smiled at the thought of her sweet boy, memories of his childhood playing out in her mind like a montage of pure bliss. Underneath the joy of those memories was still the hint of emptiness inside of her. Something was missing. What do normal people do in these instances? She wasn't the Evil Queen anymore so she couldn't just go on a dark magic spree. Even if she could, what would she do? With a heavy sigh she realized normal people would usually talk to a friend. Regina wasn't great at opening her heart to people. She had been betrayed too many times. She hadn't been great at making friends either. The thought of seeing Dr. Hopper again crossed her mind, but the thought of more therapy exhausted her. She felt that going back to talk to the cricket would signify that she hadn't come very far at all from where she had been when she realized she needed Henry. Did she need another child? Did she need another child whose mother certainly wouldn't be coming back to take them away from her? No. Henry was her son whether Emma was in his life or not and she always would be. That much was clear and she finally felt confident in that.

So who could she turn to? The first person that came to mind surprised her and she dismissed it with a shake of her head. Why in the world would she turn to Emma Swan of all people? Though, she couldn't help but give it a little more thought. Emma Swan had caused plenty of problems for her in the past. It was no secret they had a complicated relationship. She wouldn't call them friends or family necessarily. They happened to share a child together. Co-parenting Henry and protecting the town was as far as their bonding had ever gone if you could even call it that. Regina couldn't help but think about the fact that Emma was the Savior, responsible for happy endings. When Regina had needed someone to love and give her purpose, it had been Emma that had inadvertently given that to her through Henry. Perhaps she could help her now. It wasn't like she had anything to lose, Regina had told herself. She picked up her phone and dialed the Sheriff's number.

Emma had been absently snacking on a bear claw while sorting through a stack of paperwork when her phone buzzed. When she saw who was calling, she let out a heavy sigh. Picking up the phone, she said a silent prayer that nothing was wrong with Henry and that Regina wasn't angry or bearing bad news.

"Hello?"

"Miss Swan. How are you?"

Emma gave her phone a confused look wondering if this could really be Regina starting a conversation with pleasantries and small talk. The mayor was known for being direct and to the point. Her time was valuable after all. "I'm um..I'm fine, thanks. Just doing some paperwork. H-how are you?"

"Fine, thank you. I was wondering if you would like to join Henry and I for dinner tonight. I know he would love to have you."

Emma's brow raised in shock. Was she really inviting her for dinner? She settled into her chair determined to find Regina's ulterior motive that she knew must be hiding somewhere. "Of course, I'd love to have dinner with you guys. Thank you for inviting me. Do you…need something?"

"Oh, no you needn't bring anything. Just yourself. Can I expect you around 6?"

"Uh..sure. That sounds good. Are you sure I can't bring anything? Bottle of wine?"

"Not unless you feel compelled to do so, dear. I'll let Henry know you'll joining us."

"Okay. See you then."

"Goodbye, Miss Swan."

Emma laid her phone on the desk and stared at it in confusion for a moment. Taking a deep breath she shook her head and decided she'd have to wait to see how the evening would unfold. Her curiosity was peaked, that much was clear. It made it somewhat difficult for her to push through her paperwork. Emma found that she had to re-read several pages over again before she was able to focus and complete the files. It frustrated her. Taking a glance at the remaining pile of work she had before her, she sorted out the most urgent tasks and completed them as quickly as she could before calling it a day. She knew she'd never be able to focus fully with a mystery dinner with Regina looming ahead of her. After locking up the station, she headed to the liquor store to find something Regina might deem suitable. Emma knew that the mayor was a fan of both wine and whiskey. Those seemed to be her drink of choice, yet she seemed to leave whiskey for occasions when she really needed something stronger or her company preferred it. If Regina was inviting her to dinner, maybe something was wrong and they'd both need whiskey to help them through the evening. Things had been going well between them though. Emma didn't want to offend Regina by assuming the worst. They were past that and Regina had more than proven herself to Emma and Henry. The rest of the town was catching up, but she knew who this woman was. She could see the efforts she'd been making. This thought narrowed her selection to wine. Would Regina prefer white or red? Emma thought for a moment and knew she'd prefer something that paired well with dinner. Emma pulled out her phone to send Regina a text message.

 _Hey! What's for dinner?_

 **Hey yourself. I was thinking of making lasagna. Henry's favorite.**

Emma smiled. _Yum! Mine too!_

 **I'm glad you approve. Any other requests, Sheriff?**

 _Just trying to decide on what to bring tonight. Thanks!_

 **Don't trouble yourself too much. I'm sure I have everything we'll need. Though I don't allow soda in my house, Miss Swan.**

Emma rolled her eyes and smirked. _Oh come on! Give me a little more credit than that. I was trying to pick the right cool-aid._

 **I do hope you don't fill our son with that sugary nonsense. I don't want his insides to look like a rotting rainbow.**

Emma's breath caught and she re-read the text. "Our son." Regina had never acknowledged the fact that he belonged to both of them so casually. What was going on with her? All Emma knew was that she couldn't wait to find out.

 _No worries. Cool-aid isn't a great mixer with whiskey. He knows how to make sour mix. Too young to drink it straight and all that._

 **You're so CHARMING.**

 _What can I say? It's in my genes._

 **Don't be late.**

 _Don't worry. I will always find you._

 **That's it. You're uninvited to dinner.**

 _Tell that to Henry. See you soon, Madame Mayor ;)_

Regina had noticed that between her eye rolls at the Sheriff, she was smiling at their interaction. With the excepting of the underlying excitement for the change in her dinner routine tonight, her day had been pretty mundane. Her interactions with Emma had been a much needed, carefree distraction. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard a voice admonishing her for entertaining such childish behavior with the woman. Though, as quickly as she'd listened to the voice, she pushed it away. When had she become so stale? Regina remembered a time in her life when she used to be able to laugh, tease, and have fun. She remembered a time when she could be free and lighthearted. That's when she realized when it all went away. Her mother had not only taken Daniel from her, she had taken the last of her joy and freedom away as well. Any propensity for happiness and light in her had been systematically destroyed by Cora. Her eyes welled up with tears as she felt the anger rise within her. Taking a deep breath, Regina pushed away those feelings with all the strength she could muster. This was her life and she had been in command for a long time now. She had been fighting her mother her entire life, but Regina hadn't realized until that moment just how deep and how long her mother's control had taken root within her. Regina decided that was all going to change. Old habits die hard, she knew. But Regina wanted to be free again. If having a ridiculous text conversation with the Savior was going to help her feel that lighthearted again, then it was a step she was going to take. Perhaps she did still need Emma after all. With a smile on her lips, she anxiously put away the rest of her work for the day and left the office with the exciting promise of the evening ahead.

…..

Regina waited eagerly as the children began to pour out of the school's entrance. Her heart was close to bursting with joy as she saw her son's smiling face. His expression only brightened when he took in the noticeably bright energy his mother was radiating. Her arms opened to him as he ran into her embrace.

"Mom!"

"Henry! How was school," she asked as she placed a kiss to the top of his head.

"Good! How was your day?"

"Good. I have a surprise for you," she said with an excited smile.

"What is it!?" Henry was practically bouncing with energy.

"I'm making your favorite for dinner tonight."

"Lasagna!?"

She laughed. "Yes. And I've invited a surprise guest to join us."

Henry's eyes widened. "Who!?"

Regina wrapped her arm around him and led them to begin their journey home. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Henry ran ahead to face her, walking backwards. "Come on, Mom! You have to tell me!"

She laughed as she turned him around and held him to her side once more. "Turn around before you run into something. It's a surprise. I cannot tell you."

"You're smiling. Do you have a new boyfriend!?"

Regina's eyes widened as she swatted his shoulder in horror. When did her son become old enough to think about those possibilities? "No! And stop asking. I'm not going to tell you. I need you to get your homework done as soon as we get home so you can help me get ready."

"I don't have any homework today," he announced proudly.

"Oh?" Regina raised her brow and eyes him skeptically.

"Nope! Finished what little I had in class. So what do I need to do?"

Shaking her head with a sigh, she wondered where her son's boundless energy came from. "You'll need to set the table."

"Easy. What else?"

She thought for a moment. "Help me cook?"

Henry smiled brightly. "Yes! I'm you're sous chef once again!"

Regina smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek before wiping her lipstick off his face. "The best sous chef a girl could ask for."

That phrase has been uttered to him countless times as he grew up. Henry had always loved helping his mother in the kitchen. Before he realized she was someone who could use real magic, he had always thought of his mother's culinary skills as magical. He imagined her pots and pans as cauldrons and all the ingredients magical things that only she knew how to expertly combine to create an enchanted masterpiece for their consumption. She always moved about the kitchen with such grace and ease. It was the one place he knew she felt most comfortable. Cooking was one of her favorite, most relaxing activities and she prided herself in it.

On their way home, they stopped inside the market where Regina told Henry he was to pick out any dessert he wanted for dinner. He was surprised at how cool she'd been this afternoon, but wasn't about to question it. He skipped down the aisles of the store to gather ingredients before she had cause to change her mind. Regina watched him with a soft smile on her face. Staring off for a moment, she realized she felt something she hadn't felt for decades. She felt peaceful. She felt content. The beauty in the simplicity of this day was so rare for her, but why? Because she had been standing in the way of her own happiness. She had neglected to enjoy so many of these precious moments for what they were. For the first time in a long time, she was free to enjoy the moment without the underlying concern for vengeance and plots. Today, she wasn't an evil queen or an imprisoned young girl. She was merely a mother planning a dinner with her son. Her expression faded to sadness and anger with herself for realizing how many of these moments she missed with Henry by focusing on securing her revenge. She realized that she could have lost any chance to have these moments with him ever again for something so useless. The cost of Snow's happiness would always be the one she loved most. It had already cost her Rocinante and worse, her father. When that cost had risen to the price of losing her son, she knew it had to stop. He was growing up so fast and she'd wasted so much time.

Henry notice the distant look in her eyes and the trace of sadness. He walked over to her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. Regina sighed and brought her attention back to the boy in front of her. Henry held up two boxes of brownie mix. "Chocolate fudge or cheesecake swirl?"

"What do you think?"

Henry looked back and forth between the boxes and then smiled. "Fudge it is!"

Regina giggled as she watched him return the other box to its shelf. She was grateful he had brought her out of her reverie. She was grateful to him for bringing her back from everything. Henry had brought her back from the darkness, from evil. That boy was undoubtedly the light of her life. She was her best self with Henry. In that moment, she was overwhelmed with love for this special being that had been brought into her life. It no longer mattered that he may have been manipulated into her life just to aid in breaking her curse. She was happy for that very reason. Henry didn't just orchestrate the breaking of the dark curse. He was her redemption and salvation. This boy, her son, was her life. She knew if she had to relive everything, all the pain all over again, to have Henry she would. She wrapped her arounds around him tightly and pressed a few loving kisses to his forehead.

"I love you so much, Henry. I don't ever want you to forget that. I have always loved you and I am so thankful that I got to be your mother. Thank you for seeing the best in me. Thank you for believing in me and giving me my best chance. You're my light in the dark."

Henry gazed at her seriously knowing that whatever was going on with his mom, it was deep and she needed him. He hoped she was growing and healing. "I love you too. Thanks for being my mom."

Tears spilled over her cheeks as she held him for a few more minutes. Soon enough, they were home and Henry ran up the stairs to put his school bag and coat away. Regina followed him up the stairs to change her outfit. She found herself standing in her underwear in her walk-in closet completely lost as to what to wear. Normally, if anyone were coming to dine with them, she would be seen in the same semi-formal attire she wore to the office. However, this was Emma and Henry. She wanted to make this day about being easy and carefree. She wanted to relax for once in her life. After a few moments of consideration, she asked herself what Emma would wear. Regina laughed to herself as she noted that she didn't own a red leather jacket or a white tank top. She decided to put on the one pair of dark jeans she owned and slipped on a fitted red t-shirt. She donned a pair of black ankle boots to complete her outfit, ran her hands through her hair, and made her way down to the kitchen. Henry nearly bumped into her in the hallway as he exited his room and stopped in his tracks taking in the sight of her. Henry rarely saw her dressed so casually. This was an especially surprising turn of events since they were expecting a dinner guest. If he wasn't dying from curiosity before, he was now.

"Mom!"

"What? What is it," she asked nervously.

"You…look great!"

Regina blushed furiously. "Henry, it's just jeans and a shirt."

"Yeah but it's nice. It's casual. You look cool, Mom. You should wear stuff like this more often."

"You think?"

He nodded with an approving smile. "Yeah. Let your hair down a little."

Shaking her head with a laugh she draped her arm across is shoulder. "Come on, let's prep for dinner, Sous Chef."

"Yes, Chef! How should I set the table?"

"You are the sous chef, my dear. I trust you to prepare the table as you see fit tonight including centerpiece. This is your dinner, my sweet. We'll need three place settings."

"On it!" Henry jumped excitedly.

….

Emma found herself standing anxiously at the front gate of the mayor's mansion. She took a deep breath and shook her head. Why in the world was she nervous? It was just Regina and Henry. The fact that they had never done this before left her wondering how she should act. What were they doing? Taking another deep breath, she reminded herself just to go with the flow and be there for Henry. Making her way up the walkway, she shifted the brown paper bag to her other arm and rang the doorbell.

Regina glanced up from the stove as her heart jumped at the sound of the bell. Quickly, she clamped down on her feelings and calmed the butterflies in her stomach. Honestly, it was just Emma. Henry jumped up and down next to the island.

"Can I answer the door!?"

"I need you to keep an eye on the stove. I'll get it."

Henry gave her a disappointed look, but went to man his post anyway. "Okay."

Regina gave herself a quick once over in the mirror before rolling her eyes at herself, continuing on to open the door. As soon as Emma laid eyes on her, her jaw dropped. She had never seen Regina dressed so casually before. There was no question how beautiful the mayor was, but seeing her this way, she was almost unsettlingly beautiful. This was a different Regina and suddenly she had no idea what to expect. She felt as intimidated and unsure as she did the first time she laid eyes on the woman.

"Hi," Emma said in that familiarly awkward tone.

"Hi. Come on in. I decided to keep your arrival as a surprise for Henry. You're our mystery guest tonight."

Emma laughed, amused and delighted. "Mystery guest, huh? I'm honored!"

"Can I take your coat?"

"Sure!"

Regina helped Emma out of her coat as she shifted the bag between her arms. After hanging it in the closet, she led Emma towards the kitchen. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."

Emma blushed. She was more than a little flustered at how welcoming and complimentary Regina was being. When they entered the kitchen, Henry's back was to them as he hovered over the counter chopping the last of the vegetables for the salad.

"Something smells good," Emma announced. Henry spun around on his heel. His jaw dropped and his eye widened.

"Mom! What are you doing here," he exclaimed as he ran to crash into her arms.

"Careful, Henry," Regina chided lightly, "you don't want to assault our dinner guest."

Emma laughed and hugged him close. "You're the mystery guest!? You're staying for dinner!?"

"Yeah, kid. Your mom invited me over," she said as she ruffled his hair.

Henry turned to Regina illuminated with joy, "You did!? That's awesome!"

Regina blushed at Emma's wink as he hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you like your surprise, sweetheart. Now why don't we finish getting dinner ready?"

"Yes, Chef!"

Emma laughed watching him skip over to resume his duties. "Chef?"

"Yeah! Mom is the chef, of course, and I'm her sous chef. I made dessert," he announced proudly.

"That's awesome! I can't wait to taste everything. It smells great."

Regina raised up for checking the lasagna in the oven. "It's nearly ready. What did you bring," she asked gesturing to the bag still cradled in Emma's arms.

"Oh! I brought wine and some sparkling grape juice for the sous chef," she said with a wink. "We should put the juice in the fridge."

"Of course. Thank you, Emma. That was very thoughtful."

Emma blushed a little. "It was the least I could do. I hope you like the wine. It's a cabernet. I don't know a whole lot about wines but I heard this one was pretty good."

Regina looked at the label. "I haven't tried this one either, but I'm sure it's lovely. Thank you."

"I'll put it on the table with the salad," Henry said before disappearing into the dining room.

The three of them navigated around each other, their comfort level slowly growing as they sat down for dinner. Regina opened and poured the wine for Emma and herself as Henry enthusiastically filled his own goblet with juice. Emma watched as Regina expertly swirled the wine around the glass. Carefully, she brought the glass up to her nose and slowly inhaled the aromas. Emma's lips parted mesmerized as Regina let out a soft, slow exhale with her eyes still closed. She delicately took a sip of the wine and worked it around her mouth with precision and poise. With a purposeful gulp and a satisfied sigh, she ran her tongue along her lips and slowly opened her eyes. Emma let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and quickly blinked away the intense stare she'd been holding as Regina met her gaze.

"This is exquisite, Emma. Thank you."

Her voice was a little weak as she replied. "I'm glad you like it." Taking a gulp from her own glass she was relieved to find for herself that she had chosen a good wine. She just hoped her company hadn't noticed how enthralled she'd been with Regina moments ago.

Their dinner had been filled with lighthearted conversation and laughter. Regina found herself smiling as she observed the casual interactions between Emma and Henry. Before, she would have been upset to see how bonded the two were and how like her Henry was. In this moment, however, she realized there was a lot she could learn from Emma. She was enjoying her company and the energy she brought to the room. Henry had been even more inclusive of Regina with Emma there. At Henry's request, the three of them gathered in the living room to watch a movie together. One of the biggest exceptions she had made to any of her rules was allowing them to enjoy Henry's brownies in the living room during the movie. That act hadn't been so easy for her and Henry knew the monumental change that had been for her. She observed as he ate his brownie with extra care not to make a mess so as not to ruin any future chance to enjoy this freedom again. As paranoid as the potential mess made her, she smiled at how thoughtful her son was. She had done well with him. When the movie was over, Regina observed the time and instructed Henry to shower and prepare for bed.

"Will you wait to tuck me in," he asked Emma.

As she fumbled for a response not sure if Regina wanted to be stuck with her alone, Regina answered for her. "Of course! Emma, would you care to have a drink with me while we wait?"

Emma was more than a little surprised, but grateful and happy she was so welcome. She had to admit she wasn't ready to leave just yet. "I'd love to. Go on and get ready, kid. I'll be here when you're done."

Henry bounded up the stairs with joy and Regina laughed. "Would you care for some more wine or would you like something else?"

"Whatever you're having will be fine," Emma replied as she followed Regina into her study. "I remember the first time you gave me a drink in here."

Regina poured another glass of wine of reach of them and offered her one. "So do I. We've come a long way since then, don't you think?"

Emma nodded and gave her a soft smile. Each of them settled into a seat as Regina tried to find a good way to start her conversation. "Thank you for having dinner with us. It was nice having your company."

Emma couldn't hold back the look of surprise and pure joy from her face as she blushed. "Thank you for inviting me, Regina. It means a lot. I had a wonderful time with you both."

"Maybe we should have dinner like this more often? I know Henry would love it."

"That sounds really nice. I like the idea of having some family time like this."

Regina smiled before a distant gaze took her into her thoughts. Family. Emma was calling them family. Maybe she did have someone after all. After a few minutes, she realized Emma had been talking to her. "I'm sorry what?"

"Regina, are you all right? You looked so far away just now. Where did you go?"

"I…I'm not sure where to start."

Emma reached out to put her hand over hers encouragingly. "You know you can talk to me about anything. I want to help if I can."

Regina gave her hand a grateful squeeze in return. "I've never really had a…friend I could just talk to before. I was never very good at opening up. I didn't have many opportunities to do so."

"And when you did, that trust was broken," Emma said knowingly. " Regina, I hope you know I would never hurt you or break your trust on purpose. I do care about you, and so does Henry."

Regina's eye filled with tears. "I'm not used to having someone to care or to trust. I've been feeling so restless lately, like something is missing and I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean? What do you feel is missing?"

"That's just it. I'm not sure. When I felt this way before, I adopted Henry and it filled such a huge void in my life. He's been everything to me."

Emma moved toward her fully engaged now. "Regina, I know you love Henry more than anything in the world, but even Henry can't give you everything. There are things in life people need that our children just can't fulfill."

"I know. I just don't know what to do."

Before responding, Emma thought for a moment. "Is that why you invited me for dinner? Because you needed to talk to someone?" Regina nodded silently staring into her glass. "Well maybe it's as simple as that, Regina. Maybe you just need a friend. I know Henry makes you happy and you love being with him. So do I. But even adults need time just for them to be with other adults. You know that."

"Maybe. I don't know how to do that though. I was the Evil Queen for so long. The only company I had were my guards or people I was using in some way. I haven't connected with a single adult I could really depend on since I lost my father. The closest I've had to that is Rumplestiltskin and he obviously wasn't the greatest choice."

"You made a great start today! You invited me for dinner and we had a great time! We're talking. You haven't called me an idiot yet," she said as she nudged Regina's shoulder. Regina laughed gratefully.

"I suppose. It has been really wonderful today having a change of pace and company. I wasn't always this…"

"Stuffy," Emma offered.

Regina raised her eyebrow and rolled her eyes at her. "I suppose. I just want to feel free. I want to be able to laugh again and…I don't know, have fun?"

Emma smiled. "Well that is something I can definitely help you with. You know, I know what it's like to trust people and have them betray you. I didn't make friends very much growing up and everyone I let in let me down too. Maybe we can help each other learn how to be good friends? You can teach me what it means to be a princess and I can teach you how to loosen up a little. What do you say?"

Regina's heart swelled with love and gratitude. It had been so long since someone had been genuinely kind to her. "I would love that."

In that moment, they heard Henry calling for them. Both of them smiled up at him from the foot of the stairs. "Hey, kid! You ready for bed?"

"Yeah! I just need a mom to tuck me in."

Regina raised her brow. "Just one?"

Emma looked at Regina with a mischievous gleam in her eye. "I'll race you!"

Just as Emma began to bound up the stairs, Henry squealed and ran towards his room. When he jumped into bed and turned to see who would arrive first, Emma caught herself on the frame of the doorway. In the same instance, Regina appeared right next to Henry in a cloud of purple smoke with a triumphant look on her face.

"Hey! That's not fair! You can't use magic! That's cheating," Emma yelled.

Regina draped an arm around Henry protectively. "You never stated the rules, Swan. It's not my fault I'm a bit more resourceful than you are."

Henry was overjoyed at the energy his mother's were emanating. "I say we have Emma over for dinner again for a rematch!"

Emma smiled as she caught her breath. "You're on! And this time, no magic!"

Regina chuckled and kissed Henry's cheek. "Goodnight, my little prince. Sleep well. I love you."

"I love you too, mom," he said as he smiled.

Emma walked over and ran her fingers through his hair before kissing his forehead. "Goodnight, kiddo. I love you."

"I love you too."

Regina watched them with a smile and waited for Emma to exit the room before she turned out the light and pulled the door shut. As Henry settled into his bed, he decided that he wanted many more days like this with his moms together. He wanted them to be a happy family. This was going to be the beginning of Operation SwanQueen.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Emma woke up the next day feeling the promise of her budding friendship with Regina. She couldn't help but smile. The feeling of having a friend to do things with and be, well, normal was something she always longed for. As crazy as it seemed, considering their history, she knew Regina was one friend she could trust and truly be understood by. The prospect was exciting. For the first time in her life, Emma felt like she really had everything. She had her parents and her son. She had a family, a home, and now a true friend. Sure, her world was full of magic and fairy tales…but this was a close to "normal" as she had ever been. The irony of that wasn't lost to her as she laughed to herself. With a heavy sigh she wondered what it meant that her "normal" ended up being real life fairy tales. What's more was that it had all started out with a wish made on a lonely birthday candle. Like magic, all of her wishes for a family and a home had been dumped in her lap. She was suddenly a mother, a daughter, a princess, and a savior. _Be careful what you wish for._ Deciding to enjoy instead of dwell, she jumped out of bed and grabbed her phone to call Regina.

Regina was making her way to her office with coffee in hand having dropped off Henry at school after a trip to Granny's. When her phone buzzed, she smiled as she saw it was Emma calling her. For the first time, she knew there was a chance that Emma was calling her for more pleasant interactions than a town emergency or parenting conflicts.

"Good morning, Miss Swan," she greeted sweetly.

"Good morning, Madame Mayor!" While their formalities still stood, it was known to both of them that these titles had become endearing nicknames to the two with a change of tone. "I was wondering if you had any plans tonight."

"Tonight? None that I can think of. Why?"

Emma smiled. "Because it's Friday night, and I think it's a perfect start to this new operation."

Regina laughed. "I didn't realized this was an official operation. Tell me, what have you named this one?"

"I haven't yet. Henry is usually the one to name these things. Typically girlfriends go out and have fun on weekends. I wanna take you out for a night of fun."

"Girlfriends, huh? Why does this suddenly seem a little ridiculous?"

"Oh don't start getting all stuffy on me already," Emma whined. "You said you wanted to let loose and have some fun! Neither one of us got the chance to be normal, carefree, young girls with friends. I don't think anyone will fault us for making up for our lost childhoods."

Regina gave her phone a sad smile as she thought it over. "I suppose. What do you have in mind?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. Just be ready for me to pick you up at 8."

"If I don't know what we're doing, how am I going to know what to wear? And who is going to take care of Henry?" Suddenly, Regina found herself falling into old habits thinking this might be more trouble than it was worth.

"I've got all that taken care of. Henry is having a sleepover with my parents. You just dress the way to did for dinner last night. Cute and casual."

Regina blushed. Did the Sheriff just call her cute? She was sure no one had ever used the words cute or casual to describe her. It made her feel warm inside. "All right. I'll be ready."

"Great! I'll see you tonight!"

"See you then."

Regina had never really grasped the TGIF concept until today. It was the first time she had ever had any reason to feel excited about a Friday night. Everyone she interacted with that day noticed the change in the mayor's demeanor. Leroy had even commented about her sudden pleasantness as being unnerving. Today, she could care less what anyone said. Today, she didn't feel like the hard ass mayor of Storybrooke or the Evil Queen. She just felt like any other woman who had a weekend of fun ahead. Work seemed to be a breeze for her today. She was thankful the day seemed to be flying by. Regina couldn't wait to get home and get ready for her night out with Emma. When she got home, she poured herself a glass of wine and jumped in the shower. In a rare burst of spontaneity, she decided to play some upbeat music that she found herself singing and dancing to as she showered. The smile she'd been wearing all day never left her face and only grew as she took note of how light and free she felt. Perhaps it was time the town of Storybrooke saw that Regina really did know how to have fun. Tonight, the people would see a side to their queen they'd never seen before. She was filled with excitement when she thought of their reactions. Mostly, she was amused thinking of the confused looks she would most likely get from people. She had to admit, she loved throwing people for a loop. Old habits die hard, but at least she wasn't going dark. She was learning there were lighter, more fun ways to mess with people. Regina looked through her closet and wished she had gone shopping. After a few minutes of filling her bed with discarded possibilities, she got an idea. Magic. Regina opened up the browser on her laptop and searched for some ideas for the perfect outfit. It didn't take long for her to find the perfect look. In an instant, she closed her eyes and was enveloped in a swirl of purple smoke. As the haze dissipated, she gazed at herself in the mirror. She was now wearing another tight pair of dark skinny jeans with a pair of sexy black high heels. The jeans were accompanied with a fitted black short sleeve shirt that was open all along the back with the material horizontally shredded. The breaks in the fabric revealed the strap of the dark purple lacy bra she was wearing. She smiled, giving herself a satisfactory nod. She could most certainly dress for casual fun in this world, but she could also do it while bringing out just a little hint of the Evil Queen. Suddenly, Regina was feeling very mischievous and very excited. Draining her remaining glass of wine, she finished returning her clothes to her closet and completed the finishing touches to her look. Hearing the doorbell, she grabbed her black leather jacket and purse and skipped down the stairs toward the door.

"Hey!"

Emma was greeted with a smile she'd never seen from Regina before. This smile was full of genuine happiness and excitement. Something about knowing she could help put that look on her face made her feel incredible. She knew the tough road Regina had traveled and she was so happy to see her able to be at ease for once.

"Hey! You ready to go? You look fantastic."

Regina blushed. "Thank you. So do you! I'm ready if you are."

Emma held out her arm gesturing towards her car. Regina put on her jacket and locked up the mansion before following Emma's lead. Once Emma was settled next to her in the car, Regina turned to her. "Where are we going?"

With a roll of her eyes, Emma responded. "I told you. I'm not telling you."

"Seriously? You already have me in the car."

Emma chuckled to herself. She was surprised she hadn't heard any quips about her car being a death trap yet. "Fine. We're going to a strip club outside of town."

All the color suddenly drained from Regina's face. Her stomach turned and her heart raced. "You're kidding right? Please tell me you're joking." Emma only smiled, making her more anxious. "Emma Swan! Let me out of this car right now."

Emma erupted with laughter. "What's the big deal? It's not like anyone will know. I'll buy you a lap dance," she said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Absolutely not! I don't know if that's what you consider _fun,_ but I certainly don't. I don't want some filthy, sweaty, half naked strange man all over me. It's disgusting."

"Oh! Well if you'd prefer girls, I can get into that too," she teased.

Regina was mortified. "I…You…That's not what I meant! Have you lost your mind!? And to think I trust my son with you! God knows what you've corrupted him with. This isn't a good idea. I want to go home."

Emma sighed. "Regina would you relax a little? We're not going to a strip club. I was teasing you. We're not even leaving town. We're just going for drinks, ok?"

Regina let out a heavy sigh of relief and then delivered a firm smack to Emma's shoulder. "Idiot!"

"Hey," she whined, rubbing her shoulder. "You're the one that said you wanted to lighten up. I was testing you."

"In the future, I suggest you refrain from such tests, Miss Swan."

"In the future, _Madame Mayor_ , I suggest you learn how to take a joke."

Regina's eye brow raised. "I hope you know I'm getting you back for this before the night is over."

Emma smiled. "This should be good."

With a mischievous, wicked grin Regina replied, "Don't underestimate me, Miss Swan. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Chills of excitement ran through Emma as she realized this was going to be a night for the books. She cranked up the radio and hit the gas. They spent a little while cruising around the back streets of Storybrooke at speeds just fast enough to be exciting but not reckless. She was the Sheriff after all, and she didn't want to push her limits with Regina too quickly.

"Where in the world are we going?"

"I thought we could go cruising for a little bit first."

"Cruising," she questioned skeptically.

"Yeah. Just drive around and enjoy some music and open road for a while. It's a great way to clear your head."

Regina gave it some consideration and nodded. Secretly, she kept the thought of cruising on her own for future reference on a day when she might need it. It sounded nice, like her walks in the woods. Once Emma caught Regina with a satisfied smile as she actually sang along to a few songs, she knew they were ready to hit the bar. When they pulled up to the Rabbit Hole, Regina raised an eyebrow at her. Regina had been to the establishment before, but it wasn't a place she frequented. Emma just smirked back at her. "Trust me."

Seeing Emma walk in to the bar first didn't cause much of a stir. However, when Regina followed to take a seat next to her at the bar while shedding her jacket, the whole bar started buzzing. The reactions weren't lost on either of them, but Regina was playing it cool. Emma looked at her and giggled.

"What?"

"We just sat down and already the energy has shifted. If I didn't know you already I'd be asking if you always make an entrance."

Regina smirked. "They haven't seen anything yet."

Emma perked up in curiosity. "Well in that case, should we get this party started with some shots or ease into it?"

"Let's give the townsfolk a chance to adjust and lull them into a false sense of security first." Her voice was velvety and low with a conspiratorial tone.

Emma shook her head with a laugh, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?"

"Wait and see, dear. Just wait and see."

Jack, the bartender approached them with amusement. "Mayor Mills, Emma, it's nice to see you ladies."

"Thank you, but it's Regina tonight," she said with her best smile. The look of surprise on his face made Emma laugh and she knew Regina was already having too much fun with this. "I'll have a whiskey please."

"You got it. Rocks?"

"No thanks. I'll take it neat, please."

"I'll have what she's having," Emma said with smirk. After he had given them their drinks, Emma turned to her. "So if everyone else gets to be on a first name basis and I'm you're friend now, do I get to call you Gina?"

Regina nearly choked on her sip of whiskey. "Never twice if you want to remain my friend."

Emma laughed and raised her glass. "Here's to the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Regina gave her the most tender and genuine smile she'd seen her give anyone aside from Henry and it made Emma's heart soar. Regina took a few minutes to people watch and observe what everyone else did for fun in this town. As she carefully observed everyone in silence, lost in thought, Emma watched her.

"Penny for your thoughts, Madame Mayor."

"Is this what people do? Just drink and play pool? Talk?"

Emma snorted. "Bored already, huh? Gee, I'm flattered."

Regina gave her a sudden look of concern. "No! I'm sorry, Emma, I didn't mean it that way."

Emma placed her hand on hers to reassure her. "I know what you mean. Wanna boost the energy a little?"

Regina smiled at her understanding. "How?"

"Well what do you wanna do?"

Regina thought for a moment about what she might have been expecting. "I think we just need to fix this music and get some people dancing. Though, I'm not quite sure how to manipulate a social situation without magic. Music I can easily take care of."

"Oh if you can take care of the music, I can teach you the rest. Shots?"

The smile on Regina's face made Emma realize she loved how often she'd been able to make that happen in the last few days. "You get the shots. I've got the music. We need a little…atmosphere."

Emma was more than curious as to what Regina was about to do, but she knew it would be good. Regina had always fascinated her, but this whole new side to her was even more so. As Emma ordered a round from Jack, the music shifted to something upbeat, sexy, and fun. The lights shifted to fade a little and a purple hew cast over the room. Everybody looked around in surprise and confusion at the change, but their moods soon shifted in pleasant surprise with the changes. Soon, the energy of the patrons changed to match the new energy of the bar. Jack look at Emma confused as he handed her the shots and she shrugged in paranoid confusion. When he looked away from her, she turned quickly to look at Regina who was casually downing the rest of her whiskey.

"What the hell?"

Regina gave her an overly innocent look. "What? I told you we needed atmosphere."

Emma shook her head in amazement at the woman before her. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

"You don't like it?"

"No! It's perfect actually. It's exactly what this place needed."

Regina gave her a satisfied smiled as she raised her shot glass to her. "Cheers, Swan."

"Cheers."

Over the next half hour, the people at the bar had sent word across the town about the new atmosphere created at the bar and the presence of the mayor. Soon, the bar was filling up with people anxious to be a part of whatever interesting happenings were going on. Emma and Regina observed the growing crowd as they enjoyed another whiskey.

"You certainly draw quite a crowd."

"You really think this has anything to do with me? This bar doesn't fill up any other time?"

"Come on. You know this is all about you."

Regina sighed. "Well I suppose if I have an audience, I should entertain."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "What are you going to do?"

"What we came here to do. Have fun. Show me how you party, Swan."

Emma ordered two more rounds of shots and then grabbed Regina's purse. "What are you doing!?"

"Trust me. Jack, take care of this will you?"

He nodded and placed the purse securely behind the bar. Emma slipped off of her bar stool and held out her hand to Regina. "Let's dance."

Regina took a moment to survey the crowd and summon up enough courage to really give into the night before she allowed Emma to lead her to the dance floor. Emma took them straight to the middle and started dancing with her. Regina was a little hesitant in her movements at first, but once she got a feel for the music, she opened up and really began to move with her. Emma was surprised at what a great dancer Regina was and it only encouraged her dancing even more. The people on and surrounding the floor all watched intrigued at the mayor and the sheriff as they danced circles around each other, laughing and smiling away. Soon enough, the floor filled with bodies. After a few songs, Emma was approached by none other than Killian Jones. He came up behind her and took her hand.

"Care to dance, love?"

Emma looked away for a moment and then continued to dance with him without acknowledging it. Regina watched them for a moment and was a little anxious that her friend was suddenly leaving her to herself. After a moment, Regina calmed herself. It wasn't as if Emma had left her alone on the floor. They were still close. She resolved to keep dancing and enjoy herself. Though, the moment didn't last long. Ruby had seen what had happened and wasn't about to let the new side of Regina be lost. She immediately danced her way over to her and noted the restoration of energy in the mayor.

"Having fun?"

"Sure! Thanks," Regina offered gratefully.

"It's good to see you! You should come out more often!"

Regina smiled and nodded. "Can I buy you a drink later, Miss Lucas? We've been doing shots lately."

"It's Ruby. And yes! That doesn't surprise me. Emma knows how to have a good time."

Regina glanced Emma's way and nodded. "She does." As she danced, she kept an eye on Emma. It was obvious that Emma was a little apprehensive about receiving so much attention from the pirate and Regina knew him all too well. Was this a normal part of a girls night out? Looking out for your friend with a sleazy pirate starts to corner her? It was such an odd feeling to her to suddenly be so protective of the Savior. Any other time she would just shake her head and leave Emma's business to her. But Emma was her friend now and she didn't want to see her hurt. They were here to have fun. Still, Regina wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

"Ruby? Do you think Emma's ok?"

Ruby smiled, so happy to see how concerned Regina was for Emma. She had seen their friendship forming for a long time now and she knew it was going to be good for a lot of people. "I think she's ok for now. Emma's a tough girl. She knows how to handle herself."

"I'm not worried about how Emma handles herself. I don't exactly trust the pirate."

"Trust me, Regina. You'll know if and when you really need to step in and save her."

Regina nodded but couldn't quite shake her worry. When the song ended and another began, Regina grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her away from him. "Ruby and I were going to have another shot. You wanna join us?"

Emma smiled at her, surprised and proud she'd already made a new friend. "Absolutely! Let's do it!"

Some of the men at the bar instantly shifted to make room for the three women at the bar. "Ruby, you choose this round."

Once Ruby ordered, Regina put a hand on Jack's arm to get his attention, throwing him off a little. "This round's on me."

He nodded and smiled as he went to pour the shots for them. "Thanks, Regina," Ruby said.

"It's my pleasure." Regina turned to Emma a little more seriously. "Emma, are you ok?"

"What do you mean? Of course I'm ok. I'm having a great time!"

Regina shook her head. "I mean with Hook. He's not bothering you is he?"

Emma was touched at her genuine concern and she laid her hand on her shoulder. "I'm ok, Regina. He can come on a little strong but it's nothing I can't handle. Thanks for looking out for me."

Regina smiled. "Isn't that what friends are for?"

Emma smiled, and as the shots arrived, they raised their glasses and cheered before downing them with a laugh. Regina felt a presence behind her and turned to find Leroy standing there eyeing her. Before she could say anything, he spoke up. "Can I buy you a drink, sister?"

Regina raised her brow in surprise and Emma couldn't hold back her laughter. "Sure, why not!"

Leroy nodded his head at Jack. "Her next drink is on me."

Jack nodded in amusement. "You got it. What''l it be, Regina?"

"I'll have another one of those shots Ruby ordered." She turned to Leroy once again. "Thank you."

"What, no dwarf comment?"

Regina laughed. "What? You're disappointed? Don't tell me you actually enjoy my snide remarks. It'll take away all my joy. I live for others suffering you know."

Leroy shook his head. "You're different somehow. I'm sorry I haven't always given you a fair shake. Just consider this a truce or something. That is unless you decided to go all evil again."

Regina smirked. "No worries, dwarf. Your truce is accepted and you and the other munchkins will live happily ever after without my interference."

Leroy gave her a rare smile. "Have fun, Your Majesty."

The ladies found themselves dancing again. Before long, Hook found the opportunity to join Emma once more. Regina let herself relax, trusting Emma would signal her if she needed. What surprised Regina was when she found herself approached by a man she'd been running into a lot lately.

"Care to dance?"

Regina tried to pull herself together as she looked at him, pretending to be un-phased. "I thought I was."

Robin laughed. "Might I join you then?"

Regina shrugged. "It's an open floor."

Robin shook his head and grabbed her hips, pressing close behind her. The action made her gasp. "You're incredibly stubborn aren't you?"

Regina tilted her head to the side and continued to carefully move against him. "You're incredibly persistent."

He smiled and whispered low in her ear. "Persistence is the key to all success in pursuing one's goals."

Regina turned to him and let her arms rest on his shoulders. "And just what might that goal be?"

Robin smiled. "Why to dance with the most beautiful and fascinating woman in the room, of course."

Regina blushed a little and shook her head as they continued to dance. She had to admit she quite enjoyed the attention and the company Robin had provided her with. She'd almost forgotten about keeping an eye on Emma before she heard her voice raise.

"You don't know a fucking thing!"

Regina spun around to see Emma push Hook away violently. Suddenly, a darkness began to rise within her that she felt whenever anyone threatened anything important to her.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Swan! You don't know the things she capable of!"

Regina stopped in her tracks as if she'd been hit in the stomach. She should have known she'd never be able to have a night as a normal person without her past coming back to haunt her. But her breath was absolutely taken away when she heard Emma's response.

"I am the only one who truly knows what she's capable of! Yes, she's capable of dark things, but she's also capable of a lot of great things too if people would just give her a chance. You don't know her like I do!"

"She's a manipulator, Swan! This is what she does! She makes people think she's on their side and then she rips their heart out. She's using you and you're letting her!"

In an instant, Emma delivered a punch square to his jaw. In that moment, Regina rushed to Emma's side and pulled her back. "Emma!" She took her hand in hers to check the damage and sighed. "Come on, Emma. He's not worth it."

Reluctantly, Emma allowed Regina to pull her away. Robin followed them to the bar. "Are you ok?"

Regina nodded. "We'll be fine. Thank you."

Robin nodded, realizing they needed to be left alone. He turned without a second thought, grabbing Killian and hauled him out of the bar. Regina took the bag of ice from Jack that she'd asked for and held it on Emma's hand. "What in the world were you thinking!?"

Emma shook her head. "I wasn't going to let him talk about you that way."

Regina sighed. "Emma, I've done some really terrible things. I've done things more horrible than you could imagine. People are going to say things about me and you're going to end up breaking every bone in your hands if you punch all of them."

Emma downed a shot and let it fall abruptly to the counter. Regina sighed once more and reached out to lift her chin. "Thank you, for standing up for me. No one…no one has ever really cared enough to do something like that for me in a long long time."

Emma gave her a weak smile. "That's what friends are for."

Regina smiled. "Let's get out of here."

Emma nodded and gathered their things as Regina took care of the tab. When they got outside, Regina grabbed Emma's hand as she grabbed for her keys. "We're both too drunk for that. I have a better way."

Regina stepped in close to Emma and placed her arms over hers. Emma could barely catch her breath before they were whisped away in a could of purple smoke, reappearing in Regina's foyer.

"That's convenient," Emma commented.

Regina laughed and shook her head. "Come on. You're staying here tonight. I don't want to send you home so my son can see you drunk."

Emma smiled and followed Regina to her study. Regina poured each of them another whiskey and sat next to her on the couch. Emma shrugged out of her jacket as Regina removed her heels, rubbing her feet. "God, my feet are killing me."

Emma chuckled. "Next time we go dancing, you might wanna try more sensible shoes. Not that they didn't look great."

"To be fair, I didn't know where we were going or what we would be doing."

Emma leaned over and took hold of Regina's ankles, pulling her feet onto her lap.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm massaging your feet. You were right. I didn't tell you where we were going, so I owe you."

Regina shook her head with a smirk. "Emma, you don't need to do that."

Emma grabbed her ankles to stop her from pulling them away. "No, I want to. This is what friends do for each other."

Regina laughed. "But what about your hand," she asked more concerned before taking it in hers to examine it once again.

"It's ok. It doesn't really hurt so much anymore. Just the initial blow."

Without thinking, Regina brought her hand to her lips and placed a few tender kisses across her skin. "Thank you again. You don't know how much it meant to me that you were willing to stand up for me."

Emma blushed and looked away for a moment. "It was nothing, Regina. He was an asshole so I hit him."

Regina looked at her carefully. "Emma, do you have feelings for him?"

Emma winced a little at the question. "I don't have feelings for him. He's an asshole."

"But before he said all those things about me…which weren't entirely untrue….did you?"

Emma sighed and shook her head. "I don't…He's…" she sighed unsure what to say. "What about you and Robin? You two looked cozy tonight."

Regina was more then a little flustered and annoyed at the way Emma turned the conversation on her. "I don't know him well enough to have feelings, Emma. We just danced. He's…just a guy."

"Just a guy, huh," Emma teased.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Is this really what we were missing out on? Getting drunk, dancing, bar fights, and boy talk?"

"God it really does sound kind of ridiculous when you say it like that," Emma said as she wrinkled her nose.

Regina could help but laugh as she placed her hand on Emma's shoulder. "Thank you, for tonight Emma. Ridiculous or not, I had a lot of fun. It felt good. I felt…free."

Emma absently rubbed Regina's leg. "I always want you to feel free with me."

The look exchanged between them was so raw and full of confusion and…love. The two had exchanged so much trust and opened up to each other in a way that they never had with anyone else. It was safe to say they were both overwhelmed by it all in the best way possible. Their minds were more than a little hazy from the alcohol they had consumed all night. That fact was made even more clear when Emma's stomach rumbled.

Emma groaned. "Got anything to eat?"

Regina rolled her eyes and laughed. "It would probably be a good idea for both of us to eat. Come on. Let's see what we can find." Emma followed her to the kitchen and stayed close to her while they perused the fridge and the pantry. "What do you want to eat?

Emma shrugged. "I dunno. Food?"

With an exasperated sigh, Regina nudged Emma's shoulder with her own. Emma laughed and nudged her back, inciting a war of silliness. The two began to shove each other back and forth away from the open refrigerator in giggles.

"Emma, this is my fridge!"

"But I'm hungry!"

"I don't care! Let me in there!"

Emma pushed against her. "No! I'm the guest!"

"You're wasting energy!"

"Then let me look!"

"Fine!" Regina declared as she back away. Emma eyed her suspiciously before dawning a look of triumph. She'd glanced at the contents of the fridge for all of two seconds before Regina assaulted her with an attack of tickles along her sides. Emma screamed as her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. "REGINA! STOP!"

Regina laughed wickedly as she continued her assault on the Savior. Emma screamed and tried hard to catch her breath as she reached behind Regina and grabbed a can of whipped cream from the door. Quickly, she popped off the lid with her thumb and held the can protectively in front of her. Regina pulled back in surprise and gave her a warning look.

"No. Don't. You. Dare."

"Are you going to stop tickling me?"

"Are you going to let me into my refrigerator?"

"Truce," Emma said breathlessly.

Regina nodded and helped Emma up off the floor. They each took a minute to catch their breath before Emma sprayed whipped cream all in Regina's face. Regina squealed in shock and Emma stood frozen for a moment wondering if she was really going to die for that move. Deciding not to chance it, Emma took off running out of the kitchen. A chill ran through her as she heard the threatening tone of the Evil Queen echo through the hallway.

"SWAN!"

"Shit," Emma said with a start and she tried to calm her racing heart.

She screamed as she realized Regina was running after her, about to catch her. Realizing she wasn't as familiar with the mansion as she should be, she reached a dead end and found herself being slammed back into the wall. Regina held both of her wrists up next to her against the wall and she gave her a death glare that was hard to take serious when masked by whipped cream. Emma tried desperately not to laugh at her and make her pay back worse.

"You're gonna pay for this," Regina said through clenched teeth.

By the tone of her voice, Emma was almost concerned that she'd pushed Regina too far and that she was truly angry with her. But Regina's actions proved just the opposite was true. Regina leaned in against her and proceeded to rub her face against Emma's sharing the whipped cream covering her face. Emma squealed in surprise and squirmed against her.

"Ugh! Regina! Stop it! I'm sorry!"

They looked at each other and erupted into another fit of laughter that left them breathless. Regina tried to catch her breath, still pinning Emma to the wall. "If I let you go, do you swear not to use that stuff again?"

Realizing for the first time how close Regina was to her, their breath mingling and the haze of alcohol still gripping them, she struggled for a response. "Y-yes…"

Regina's voice took on a husky, velvety tone. "Good."

Emma was speechless this close to Regina. She wasn't sure what was happening between them, but she was struggling to find any reason or logic within her to sort it out. Regina found herself caught up in the same wave of emotion.

"You're lucky this time, Sheriff. Had you not been _my_ savior tonight I might have locked you up myself."

Emma gasped at the way she had said, " _my_ savior." It sent her mind in a whirl. Was she flirting with her? What were they doing here? "All in a days work, Your Majesty. It's my duty to take care of the Queen."

Regina gave her a sultry smile. "And how else do you plan to take care of your Queen, Sheriff?"

Emma suddenly realized she was going to take a big risk to figure out just what Regina's intentions were. "Well let's see…how did the last Sheriff take care of the Queen?"

Regina's eyes darkened at her insinuations and she took it as permission to claim Emma's lips with her own. Truth be told, Regina had been just as lost and confused by everything that had happened between them that night. She had no real experience with friendship, but this she knew to an extent. Emma dropped the can to the floor and her hands came up to pull Regina closer to her, her hands caressing her lower back. Regina's hands came up to tangle in Emma's hair as she groaned softly against her lips. After sharing a hungry kiss, Regina playfully licked away some of the whipped cream on Emma's face. Emma laughed softly and tried to calm herself.

"We should wash this off."

Regina giggled and nodded her head, taking Emma's hand leading her to her bathroom with her. She pulled out a wash cloth for each of them and handed one over to Emma. They simultaneously cleaned the whipped cream from their faces, standing close to each other so their bodies had some sort of contact all the while. The two looked at each other in the mirror and giggled. Setting down their cloths on the sink, they turned to each other and engaged in a brief, sweet kiss. With the exchange of a soft smile, they joined hands again and walked back down to the kitchen. Emma went to the hallway to retrieve the can of whipped cream and wipe away what had spilled on the floor. Regina had begun to pull out various ingredients as Emma came back into the kitchen.

"Pancakes?"

Emma smiled. "And bacon!"

The two ate their late night breakfast with casual conversation about the town, the bar, and the people of Storybrooke. As they cleaned up the kitchen together, each of the noticed how easy and comfortable things were between them. Regina brought Emma to her room to help her find something to sleep in.

"What do you normally like to sleep in?" Emma fell back on the bed in a fit of giggles. Regina placed her hands on her hips. "What is so funny?"

"God it's like we're cramming a whole night of high school girly stuff into one night. Here, let me raid your closet and we'll have a sleep over! What's next? Do I get to braid your hair?"

Regina rolled her eyes and hit her with a pillow as she continued to laugh. "Keep this up and you can stay in those smelly bar clothes."

Emma pouted. "I smell?"

"Like alcohol and cigarettes. Now what do you want to sleep in?"

Emma shrugged. "I dunno. I usually sleep in a tank top and my underwear."

Regina rolled her eye and went into her closet. When she came back out, she was dressed in seat of silky pajama pants and matching button up shirt. She handed Emma a t-shirt she had gotten from a fund raising event at Henry's school years ago that she never wore along with a pair of work out shorts.

"Thanks!"

Emma changed while Regina went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She came back into the room and offered Emma a new tooth brush. "Here, I had an extra one if you want it."

"Oh thank God. I was dreading going without a toothbrush after binge drinking and bacon," she laughed.

Regina shook her head with a laugh and settled into her bed. Once Emma was settled, she ran back into Regina's room and jumped onto the bed next to her. Regina gave her a bewildered look. "What?"

"What?"

"You can sleep in the guest room if you want."

"Oh no. If we're doing this, we're doing it right. Classic sleepover."

Regina rolled her eyes and shifted towards the bedside lamp as Emma climbed in under the covers. She glanced at Emma over her shoulder. "All set?"

Emma nodded her head while holding the blankets up to her chin. She batted her eyes in the most childish way possible. Regina laughed and shook her head before turning the lights off. "You are such an idiot."

"That's why you like me."

"Oh is it?"

"Yep. So what do you want to talk about?"

"What? I thought we were going to sleep."

"We will, but it's customary to stare into the darkness and talk about things and swap secrets until we fall asleep."

"Oh my God…" Regina groaned.

Emma laughed and snuggled up closer to Regina. "Tell me about Henry when he was growing up."

Regina's mood suddenly shifted and her heart swelled. She smiled to herself with a bittersweet smile and took Emma's hand in the dark. She talked for the better part of two hours covering all her favorite moments with Henry and answering Emma's questions. Emma was the first one to drift off to sleep, leaving Regina to reflect on all that had happened. As she replayed the night's events in her mind, sleep had finally overtaken her. The morning would leave the two with a lot of unanswered questions and more to think about than they bargained for. It would also leave them with a massive hang over and very fond memories.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Regina slowly started to wake when the throbbing in her head and heaviness of her body came to her awareness. Wincing, she started to roll onto her back when she felt herself being stopped by the weight of another body pressed up against hers. Emma. At some point during their slumber, Emma had curled herself around Regina. Fighting the pain in her head, she tried to work through her current predicament. Was Emma intentionally snuggled up against her? If so, why? She was sure friends didn't really snuggle this way. It seemed intimate. That's when memories of the night before flooded her mind. They had shared a somewhat passionate kiss last night. What did that mean? What were they doing? Suddenly a little panicked, Regina struggled out of bed and shut herself in the bathroom. After splashing some cool water over her face, she sat down for a moment to try to collect her thoughts. They were going to have to talk, that much was sure. She knew she wanted to be friends with Emma, but she wasn't sure what all the rest of this meant or how she felt about it other than terrified. Taking a deep breath, she decided a hot shower was in order.

Emma whimpered at the sudden empty space next to her and began to stir. She looked around confused for a moment and then remembered she had slept with Regina that night. Her mind started to race as she tried to remember if all they did was sleep. She recalled a steamy kiss downstairs and a sweeter one in the bathroom, but that had been all. She sighed in relief. Things were getting complicated enough as it is and she wasn't sure how to handle things or approach Regina at the moment. She was grateful to hear Regina in the shower knowing it would give her some time to herself to gather her thoughts. Emma made the bed and went down to the kitchen to start coffee and breakfast.

Regina stepped out of the hot shower into the steamy room with a sigh of relief. That cleansing ritual had definitely brought her to life a bit more. Regina finished her morning rituals and changed into some comfortable clothing before going to find Emma downstairs. When she entered the kitchen, she was greeted by the sizzling sound of bacon and the smell of coffee. She watched Emma for a few moments remembering the childish display the two had put on the night before. She couldn't help but smile. While it had led to some confusing exchanges, it had been fun and made Regina feel more free than ever.

"I thought you'd still be sleeping off the booze."

Emma turned around with a soft smile and offered her a glass of an absurd mixture of things that led Regina to give her a questionable look. "What in the world is this?"

"It's my special hang over remedy," she stated plainly as she continued cooking.

Regina gave the drink a sniff and wrinkled her nose. "What the hell is in this?"

"I can't tell you. Just drink it. I swear it works."

"How do I know you haven't decided to get me back for the apple turnover?"

Emma glanced over her shoulder with a sympathetic look. "I think you've paid enough for that."

Regina looked away sadly remembering the pain, fear, and regret she still carried for inadvertently harming her son. Without another thought, she drained the contents of the glass swiftly as if it were penance. Emma slid her a cup of coffee and put a plate in front of her on the island. Regina settled onto one of the bar stools at the island and gratefully accepted the chaser offered to her.

"Do you need any help?"

"Nope! I've got it all under control," she said as she spooned out some scrambled eggs and bacon onto Regina's plate. Soon enough, Emma sat across from her and began to eat.

"Thank you for making breakfast and for making the bed."

Emma shrugged. "Just being a good house guest."

They ate in awkward silence for a few minutes before Regina decided to confront the elephant in the room. "We kissed last night."

Emma froze for a minute before she continued chewing the bite in her mouth and gave a slow nod. Regina remained focused on her. "What does that mean?"

Emma refused to look up from her plate to meet her gaze. She continued to stab at the food on her plate. "I dunno. What do you think it means?"

Regina gave her an exasperated sigh. "I don't know, Emma, that's why I'm asking you."

Emma dropped her fork to her plate and sat back on her stool with a sigh. "Well I don't know what to tell you."

"Is this just something that friends do or did you want to kiss me for…other reasons?"

"If I remember correctly, you kissed me."

Regina blushed and looked away. "You did kiss me back….and you slept with your arms around me."

It was Emma's turn to blush now. "I'm sorry. I'm just used to sleeping cuddled up like that to a body pillow. It's habit."

Regina couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Emma's snuggling last night was nothing more than mere habit. Had Regina fully realized she was actually disappointed by that fact, she would have been seriously disturbed. "And the kiss? The flirting?"

"What do you want it mean, Regina?"

"Why are you turning this on me? I'm just trying to understand what's going on."

"Because you're the one asking all the questions!"

"So it's nothing then? You had no trace of confusion or question about anything?"

Emma sighed heavily. "Of course I did. I just…don't know. I don't want to say one thing and then find out you meant another and make a mess."

Regina sat back surprised and watched Emma carefully. "Emma, if we're going to be friends, we have to be honest with each other about everything. I know that's not easy for either of us, but…that is what we said we'd do. I need you to tell me exactly how you feel about it, not just what you might think I want to hear. If you're honest with me, I promise I'll be honest with you."

"I think…" she sighed, " I think we were both drunk, we both got caught up in everything that happened last night, and we both got confused about how to act with one another because we've never had real friends before. We've both learned how to use people for our own needs and keep things casual. I'm not saying we were using each other. I think we just aren't used to having someone genuinely care for us and it's easy to want to make that mean everything."

Regina considered what she had to say and nodded. "I think you're right. I do care about you, Emma, but I wasn't expecting anything like that. I don't want to ruin what we have, and we have Henry to consider. We're finally doing well taking care of him together. If we had been romantically involved and it didn't end well, he would be the one to suffer the most. I won't hurt him again."

Emma nodded. "We'll just leave at a drunken mishap. It's not like things like that don't happen between friends."

With a nod, Regina moved from her seat to start cleaning up the kitchen. Emma joined her and they moved together in companionable silence, letting their previous conversation sink in. As they came close to finishing their clean up, both women were a little anxious that their time together was coming to a close. Neither one of them were ready to admit that they weren't ready to say goodbye. Quickly, Emma turned to Regina with an idea.

"Why don't you come with me to pick up Henry and we all go out? I don't have my car right now anyway. We can pick it up later."

Regina immediately brightened. "I would love that! Where should we go?"

"I'm not sure. Let's leave it up to Henry." Regina smiled and nodded in agreement. "Awesome. Let's go change and get our kid."

"Sounds perfect."

The two women ran excitedly up the stairs together and were soon ready to head out for a day of family fun. Emma lead Regina into the apartment she shared with her parents. David and Henry were discussing Henry's comic books while Mary Margaret cleaned up the kitchen. Henry jumped up as he saw them walk through the door.

"Mom! Mom! You're both here!"

Running to them, he threw his arms around both of them in a warm embrace making the two women laugh with joy. Emma ruffled his hair. "We thought we would take you out today and have some family time. What do you say?"

Henry jumped up throwing his fist in the air. "Yes! Where are we going!?"

"That's up to you, Kiddo! Why don't you talk that over with your mom while I get change out of these clothes?"

"Awesome! What can we do?"

"Whatever you'd like, sweetheart," Regina said as she kissed his forehead and held him tight.

Snow smiled brightly at the display before her. This was the woman she had missed so much and always wanted to remember. Her eyes couldn't help but follow her daughter as she headed for the stairs and wondered what was happening between the two of them. Snow's gaze then drifted to meet David's who was obviously wondering the same thing. With a silent nod, she excused herself from the room and went to check on Emma. Knocking on the door as she leaned against the door frame, Snow watched Emma fumble through her closet for a new outfit.

"I suppose you two had fun last night?"

Emma glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah. It was good."

Shaking her head, she recognized all too easily her daughter's walls and knew there was more to this story. "Did you stay with Regina last night?"

Emma looked at her for a moment trying to figure out exactly what she was trying to get out of her. "I did. We both drank quite a bit and Regina didn't think either of us should drive, so she poofed us back to her house. We're going to pick up my car later."

Snow smiled. "That was very considerate of her. I'm glad to see the two of you getting along so well. I know it makes Henry happy."

Emma just nodded and continued getting dressed. "Yeah, it is a lot nicer being her friend than it is fighting with her."

"I'm glad the two of you are spending time together. You know you have us and so many others here who love and care for you, but I think you could both use a friend like this."

Emma looked at her mother and smiled at her genuine understanding. "It is nice. I mean, you're right, I know I have all of you. But Regina and I are…different I guess. I mean we have a kid together and neither of us really had friends before. We're figuring it out."

The look of sadness for the lonely childhood her daughter was cursed to washed over her as she moved to hold Emma close. In her embrace, Emma knew her mother wished she could hug away all the pain she'd been through. Closing her eyes, she willed all that love back to Snow knowing they'd both missed out on so much by being apart all those years. After a moment, Snow let her go with a sigh.

"I'll let you finish getting ready."

Descending the stairs, Snow smiled as she listened to Henry recount the evening he had spent with them for Regina. She was intrigued when she heard Henry ask her how her night out with Emma was and what they got into. Regina shifted a little in her chair as she looked away for a moment, carefully considering what she might say to him.

"It was a good night. Emma and I went out for drinks and socialized a bit."

Henry smiled. "Where did you go?"

Regina sighed not wanting to lie to Henry, though not wanting to confess where she'd been either. "The Rabbit Hole."

"Cool! I hear a lot of people have fun there."

Regina raised her brow. "Just what do you hear?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Mom, I watch movies. I know what happens in bars."

She gave him a frown. "Well there are ways to be responsible and have a good time as well. Not everyone has to be as ridiculous as some people in the movies. For example, Emma and I were both drinking last night, so we didn't drive. I used magic to transport us back to the house so no one would get hurt. Obviously, magic isn't always a feasible option, but if you ever go somewhere…when you are _much_ older…and you aren't in any shape to get yourself home, I want you to call one of us to come and get you. Understood?"

Henry shot one of Regina's own classic eye rolls at her and nodded. "Yes, Mom."

"Good boy."

"Thank you for letting Emma stay with you last night, Regina. I appreciate you looking out for her."

Regina looked up at Snow in surprise and nodded. "Of course."

"I'm glad the two of you were safe and had a good time," she offered with a smile.

Regina shifted once again a little uncomfortably at the way Snow was looking at her. "Thank you."

Snow joined the two at the table. "How have you been?"

With her usually dismissive tone Regina scoffed a little at her overly friendly demeanor. "I'm fine."

Snow couldn't help the smirk that came over her face. "Well that's good to hear."

Regina visibly brightened and felt relieved to see Emma running down the stairs ready to go. "Are you ready?"

Emma smiled back at her. "Ready! You know where we're going, Kid?"

Henry perked up. "Yeah! I know the perfect spot!"

"Well all right then, let's go!"

The three said their goodbyes in a whirlwind as they anxiously hurried out the door, leaving David and Snow a bit bewildered.

"Are they ok," David asked.

"I think they're better than they've ever been," she said to him with a satisfied smile.

….

Emma, Regina, and Henry had spent a great afternoon at the stables riding horses. Regina found herself having to devote a lot of special attention to Emma who had more than a little trouble getting accustomed to being on a horse. It was all she could do not to laugh at Emma's comical expressions of discomfort. The caretaker offered to lead Emma's horse for her, but after a few moments of humiliation from being treated like a child, she'd had enough. Shaking her head with a laugh, Regina dismounted her horse and went to her side.

"Emma, come here."

She shook her head in frustration. "No. I'm done being humiliated. It looks like fun but those things are huge and terrifying! This might be your thing, Regina, but it's not mine. I didn't grow up in that world."

"Emma, it doesn't matter if you grew up in that world or not." Regina lovingly stroked her horse's head, demonstrating all the love and respect in the world. Emma was fascinated seeing her this way.

"Look at him. Look how beautiful he is. Yes, he's very powerful and you have to respect that. But he's also gentle. These creatures are loyal and loving. They're free spirits. They run with the wind and they'll carry you with them if you let them. You just have to trust and respect them."

Emma considered her words carefully and realized how much it sounded like she was describing herself. That was how Emma often thought of Regina. "I don't know how."

Regina smiled and reached for her hand. Emma hesitantly let Regina guide it up to the horse. She gazed into it's eyes and spoke nervously as she brushed her fingers through its mane. "Hey. It's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you. You're uh…you're a pretty handsome guy."

Regina chuckled a little and smiled back at the horse. "Are you ready to get back up there?"

"Can't we just do this? Isn't this enough for one day?"

"Emma Swan, I am not about to watch the Savior chicken out of something like this. You have to get back on that horse. You can't just let a little fear stop you from doing things or make you run away."

Emma sighed heavily and let out a whine. "But what if I fall off or something?"

"Then you get back on and try again."

"But what if he tramples me!?"

"Emma! Get on the horse."

Regina's uncompromising tone was more intimidating than the horse. Reluctantly, she obeyed and was more than a little relieved when Regina mounted the horse behind her. She tried to ignore the feeling of Regina pressed so close against her back and her arms coming around her to grab the reigns.

"Aren't we too heavy?"

Regina smiled and shook her head. "He's a sturdy guy. He can handle us. Just trust him. Trust me."

Emma gasped a little at her last comment and swallowed the lump in her throat. All she could do was nod her head. Regina made a soft clicking noise and suddenly the horse began to walk. Emma jumped at the movement and clutched the saddle desperately. Regina's chin hovered over her shoulder, her face next to Emma's.

"It's ok. We're just going for a walk right now."

Emma gulped and nodded again nervously. Once Regina felt her begin to relax, she signaled for the horse to pick up the pace a little.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah," was all she could say, but at least she was able to speak. Regina took it as a good sign. Emma distracted herself watching Henry and his horse trot around the course. He looked just as happy and comfortable as Regina did. Once Emma had relaxed enough to lean back into Regina, her low velvety voice sounded in her ear.

"Are you ready to fly, Swan?"

Emma's stomach clenched both out of nervousness and from the way Regina's voice affected her. "Um….I…"

Without giving her a chance to argue, Regina told her to hold on tight and urged the horse into a full gallop. The wind blew through their hair as they raced across the hillside. Suddenly, Emma heard a sound come from Regina she'd never expected or heard before. It was the lightest, sweetest, most joyful giggle she'd ever heard. She wished so desperately she could see the smile on Regina's face in that very moment. Instead, Emma closed her eyes and allowed herself to envision that smile as she let herself feel what it felt like to fly with this amazing woman. All at once, she understood why Regina loved horses so much. At Granny's that evening, Henry has asked Emma if she would ever go riding again. She had told him she would love to if Regina didn't mind teaching her some more. Regina instantly made it known she'd be more than happy to help.

…..

It had been a few days since then. Emma and Regina hadn't seen much of each other, but they did check in. They both found joy in receiving each other's text messages throughout the day. Regina had just finished a less than pleasant meeting when her phone buzzed. Rubbing her temples with a sigh, she hesitantly grasped it to see who it was. '

 _Hey! How's your day going?_

It was Emma. A soft smile came to her lips as she tapped out a response. **It could be better and it could be worse. I trust the town is peaceful?**

 _Not a creature is stirring. Not even a mouse._

 **In the mood for Christmas already? We're only just about to see Fall.**

 _Santa's always watching, Regina._

 **Oh, I see. Trying to get on his good side?**

 _I'm already on the Nice list._

 **What makes you so sure of that?**

 _Cuz I'm the Sheriff. I protect people. I'm a peace keeper. It's just a given._

 **Do you suppose I'll make the cut this year?**

 _Most definitely._

 **That's a relief. I have enough coal to host a BBQ to feed all of Storybrooke.**

 _I'll bring the beer!_

 **Thank you for your contribution to help end hunger in our town, Sheriff. You are indeed on the Nice list.**

 _Just doing my job, ma'am. Since you've been a good girl, what do you want for Christmas?_

Regina gave her question some thought. She'd never really thought of what she might ask for as a Christmas wish. What would she want? In that moment, her assistant had buzzed to inform her she had a visitor. With a sigh she replied to Emma.

 **A vacation. Perhaps to the beach? One of the townspeople has requested an audience with the queen.**

 _I'll put in a good word with the big guy….and good luck with that._

 **Thanks. Hug Henry for me when you pick him up.**

 _Will do. Talk to you later!_

Regina pushed her phone to the side as the door opened. When she looked up, she was a little surprised to see Robin standing before her. She hadn't seen him since the night at the bar, and suddenly her cheeks flushed remembering their dance together.

"Mr. Locksley. What can I do for you?"

He smiled. "It's Robin. I wanted to speak to you about perhaps putting up some signs or having a town meeting perhaps to help warn some of the young ones from playing on the dam. I know many people like to go fishing there. It's also a wonderful picnic place, but one of my men found two young boys unsupervised there roughing around and stopped one of them from falling. He could have been seriously injured."

Regina sighed, her brow furrowing. "Of course. Thank you for calling it to my attention and give thanks to your friend on my behalf as well. This could have been a real disaster."

"Of course. You're very welcome, Ms. Mills."

She smiled. "You can call me Regina."

"Regina," he repeated with a smile. "There is one other thing I was hoping to speak with you about if you don't mind."

"Of course. What's on your mind?"

"The other night at the bar…that brainless moron who said all of those horrible things about you…"

Regina looked away and frowned. She was sure he would want to know how much was true and why he'd said what he did. She would never escape her past no matter how hard she tried to change. Yet, the question he asked was not the one she'd expected.

"Are you all right?"

She looked up at him completely confused, even more so when she saw the genuine concern in his face. She'd only seen that look from Emma and Henry. "I…yes, I'm fine. Hook and I have a long history."

Robin nodded, not wanting to pry. "For what it's worth, the Sheriff isn't the only one who knows he was wrong about you."

Regina wasn't sure how to respond. She wanted to cry, blush, laugh, argue…she suddenly couldn't breathe. "How do you know? You don't know me."

"Perhaps not as well as I'd like to, but I've seen you, Regina. I've seen you run this town. I've seen you care for your son. I've seen you aid in many threats to this town. I saw you that night with your friends. I know you have a very complex past, Regina, but I can also see that it's made you so much stronger than you realize. What I see is a woman who fights everyday, who loves her son with all her heart, who tries to do what's right. I see a woman who has hurt before and doesn't know how to let people in. But I also know, that you want to."

Regina shook her head breathlessly. "How could you possibly know all of this?"

"Because I see you, Regina. You captured my attention and whenever you're around, I can't help but watch you."

She looked away, unable to meet his gaze. Her heart was racing and her stomach was in knots. Where had this come from? Too much was happening all at once and she wanted to run and hide. No man had spoken to her this way since Daniel. The only person since Daniel that she'd heard these things from was Emma. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming need for Emma, for her friend.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," he said as he stepped in close to her.

She gasped a little and took a small step back. "I appreciate what you said. I do. Not many people see me that way. Most people only see the Evil Queen. I can't deny that it's wonderful to not have that be someone's first impression of me. I'm just not sure what to do with that. But…thank you…for seeing me."

He nodded with a smile. "You're welcome. And you don't have to do anything with it…unless you want to."

Immediately, she dropped her gaze and cleared her throat. "I'll let you and your men know about the signs and the meeting about the damn. Thank you for your help. I'm certain the citizens of Storybrooke will be just as appreciative."

Knowing she was ready for their exchanged to end, he bowed out gracefully. Once he was gone, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her stomach was still turning, so she rushed over to her phone and quickly sent a message to Emma.

 **Are you busy?**

Nervously, her knee bounced on the floor as she desperately waited for Emma to respond. She jumped a little at the sound of her phone's notification.

 _Just working on some paperwork. Why? What do you need?_

 **I need you to meet me at Granny's.**

 _Sure! When?_

 **Now.**

 _Are you ok? What's wrong?_

 **Everything is fine. I'll explain later.**

 _Ok. I'll see you soon._

 **Thanks, Emma.**

 _Anytime._

Emma jumped up from her desk, grabbing her keys and her jacket. She knew something was wrong. She could sense it. If she wasn't convinced of it before, she was when Regina sent her the "thank you" text. Not that it was out of the ordinary for Regina to say "thank you" for anything. This thank you felt more personal. When she arrived at the diner, she rushed through the door and found Regina sitting anxiously at a corner booth waiting for her. When their eyes met, Emma's heart raced a little when she saw the instant relief in Regina's eye when she walked towards her. Emma quickly slid into the seat opposite Regina.

"Hey! What's going on?"

"Emma, thank you so much for meeting me."

"Of course! You know I'm here. What can I do?"

Regina never stopped fidgeting. The look of anxious worry remained etched on her face as she struggled for words. "I don't know."

"Well what's going on? What happened?"

"I don't know," she said desperately.

Emma held both of Regina's hands in hers across the table and looked into her eyes to help calm and focus her. "Regina, look at me."

As she met Emma's gaze and felt the warmth of her hands, her heart calmed and she took a deep breath. "Robin Hood came to see me."

"Okay…"

"We…he said some things…"

Emma suddenly felt a fire growing inside of her ready to attack in case he'd uttered one harsh word to her. "What the hell did he say!?"

"Emma calm down. It's not like that." Her heart smiled seeing how fiercely protective Emma was of her. "He was there at the bar that night."

"Yeah, I remember. You guys were dancing weren't you?"

Regina nodded. "We were. He heard what Hook said before you hit him." Her voice adopted a tone of amusement for a moment at the recollection of how Emma had literally fought for her honor. "He was apparently upset by it the same way you were. He was saying all these things about how he knew that wasn't me, how he…knew me, he saw me…"

Emma started to understand what was happening and a part of her she couldn't understand was suddenly afraid. "He has feelings for you…"

"I…I don't know. No man has ever spoken to me or looked at me that way since Daniel."

"And what Tinker Bell said…"

"I don't know what to make of it. I just…suddenly, I felt the same way I felt the night I went to find him at the bar. I just wanted to run."

Emma looked at her for a moment. "Why, Regina? Is it because you're afraid you might have feelings for him too?"

Regina shook her head helplessly. "I don't know! I don't know what to think or feel. I didn't see this coming."

"You didn't see fate catching up with you," she asked skeptically.

"It's not fate! I don't know what's happening. I don't know what to do."

Emma sighed. "Do you like him?"

Regina shot her a look. "I don't even know him!"

"Do you want to know him?"

"I don't know!"

"Regina, it's not that complicated. You're either interested or you're not. If you'd like to get to know him, then get to know him. You can make a new friend. You don't have to marry him. If you don't want to, then don't. It's that simple."

Regina sighed and ran her hand through her hair as her thoughts raced. Emma watched her carefully for a moment. "I think you want to get to know him and you know it. It just scares the shit out of you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, Regina, the last time you opened yourself up to that kind of attention or potential, it was taken away from you. You were traumatized. This kind of stuff isn't easy to get over. It makes sense that you're scared. Just don't let it stop you from living your life. Remember what you told me the other day at the stables? You have to get back on the horse if you want to fly."

A soft smile graced her features as she remembered their day riding horses. She squeezed Emma's hands gratefully. "Thank you, Emma. The last thing I ever thought I'd be doing is sit at this diner talking about boys."

Emma laughed. "Hey, we gotta catch up some time, right?"

Regina smiled. "I guess so. Speaking of which, have you heard any more from Captain Guyliner?"

Emma rolled her eyes and sank back into her seat with a groan. "He tried to apologize to me, but I told him to save it because I wasn't interested in anything he had to say."

"Hmm…"

"What?"

"You know you don't have to dislike him just because I think he's an idiot, Emma. If you want to dislike him out of your own good judgement, be my guest, but don't do it just for me," she said with a wink.

"Regina, you're being ridiculous. He's a scum bag. You've been saying it yourself."

"I know. I just would rather you come to that conclusion on your own. I don't want to hold you back from anything."

"There's nothing to hold me back from."

"Okay. I'd better get back to the office and finish up things there if I plan on having dinner ready on time tonight."

"Yeah, I better get back to the station before my boss realizes I skipped out to meet up with my friend to gossip about boys. She's kind of a tight ass."

"I think you meant to say she _has_ one, not _is_ one," Regina quipped.

"Can't it be both," Emma asked with a wink.

Regina let out a little flustered giggle. "Get back to work, Sheriff."

"Right away, Your Majesty. See you at dinner."

….

At the town meeting, Regina had discussed the hazards of the dam and commended Robin and the Merry Men for their efforts in the forest.

"On behalf of the town of Storybrooke, I would like to also offer an official position to Robin and his men. Robin of Locksley, if it pleases you, I would like to offer you the position as game warden of Storybrooke with the assistance of your men, patrolling our forests and keeping them safe. This position would make you an extension to the valiant efforts of Sheriff Swan and her office. You are more than welcome to take time to discuss this opportunity amongst yourselves and consider this offer."

Robin stood completely astounded. With one look to Little John and his men, they all nodded in agreement together. "Madame Mayor, it is with great pleasure that I and the Merry Men humbly accept the responsibility you have bestowed upon us with much gratitude. Thank you."

Regina smiled at him. "Citizens of Storybrooke, please welcome your new game warden."

The town hall erupted in applause. As the people began to mill about, buzzing with conversation and excitement, Robin found Regina.

"Regina, I can't thank you enough for this opportunity. You didn't have to do this."

"Robin, I didn't do anything but make official what you and your men already do on your own. I merely thought it was high time you received some compensation for your efforts. It's a modest offering, but I can make sure that you and your men are well supplied at your camp. Whatever you need, just report to Sheriff Swan."

"I appreciate that. We all do. You've given us purpose here, Regina. I would love to take you out as a proper thank you."

Regina blushed and hesitated for a moment. "You don't have to do that."

"But I want to."

"All right."

The excitement at her acceptance overflowed from within his heart. "Wonderful! How about tomorrow night?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven."

"I'll see you then."

Regina watched him as he walked away, not noticing when Emma came to stand beside her.

"What was that about?"

Regina jumped a little. "He was just saying thank you."

"That looked like a little more than a thank you."

She sighed. "He's taking me out tomorrow night."

Emma clamped down hard at the feelings that began to stir deep within her. _Dammit, Swan. What's wrong with you? Get a grip!_ "Well that sounds nice. Henry can stay the night with me if you want so you can enjoy your evening without having to worry about when you get home."

Regina thought about it for a moment. "I appreciate the thought. Thank you, Emma."

"Sure, no problem."

Without another word, Emma walked away rather cooly and it left Regina uneasy. The next afternoon, Regina asked Henry to pack an overnight bag and be ready for Emma to pick him up.

"Why am I staying the night with Emma? I thought it was your night?"

"It is. We switched nights because I'm going out tonight."

"Where are you going?"

Regina sighed at her son's interrogation. "Robin asked to take me to dinner to say thank you for the position."

"Is it like a date?"

Regina didn't miss the uneasy tone in her son's voice and was quick to reassure him. "No, honey. It's nothing like that."

Henry was instantly relieved. "Ok…but why am I spending the night?"

"Because I don't know how late I'll be and I don't want to move you around at all hours on a school night."

"But-"

"Henry Daniel Mills! You're going to spend the night with Emma because I'm your mother and I said so! Now stop questioning me and do as I say."

Henry swallowed knowing he'd pushed her too far. "Yes, Mom."

Regina sighed as she watched him make his way up the stairs. She poured herself a drink to calm her nerves before she headed upstairs to finish getting ready herself. Soon, the doorbell rang and Regina went back down to let Emma in.

"Hey…" Emma was immediately taken back by the way Regina looked. Suddenly, she was a little jealous that this was what Robin was getting. "You look nice."

"You think so?"

Emma wasn't used to seeing Regina so insecure and she didn't like it at all. It just confirmed that she had butterflies, which could mean she had actual feelings for him. Emma couldn't explain why that possibility made her unhappy. The fact that it did and she didn't know why made her even more upset.

"Yes, you do. You always do."

Regina flushed a little and smiled. Seeing that smile on her face warmed Emma's heart and calmed her a bit.

"Come on in. Henry was just upstairs getting ready."

"Are you ready? Ready for your big date?"

"I-"

Suddenly, Henry's voice erupted from the top of the stairs. "You lied to me! You told me it wasn't a date!"

"Henry!"

"No! I'm sick of your lies! You always do this! You always mess up everything!"

Emma wasn't sure what was going on, but she didn't like it one bit. "Henry! Don't talk to your mother that way!"

"Why are you defending her? You should be more upset than anybody!"

Regina stepped forward. "Henry what are you talking about?"

"You can't go out with him! You can't go on this date!"

The two women made their way up the stairs to him and Regina placed a hand on his shoulder. "Honey, it's not as serious as you think. At least I don't think it is. I'm just going to dinner, that's all. Nothing is going to take me away from you, no matter who I go out with. I promise you that. You always come first in my life, Henry, and you always will. Nothing will ever change that."

"He's not taking you away from me. He's taking you away from Emma!"

The two of them exchanged a confused and worried look. "Henry, what are you talking about?"

"You two were doing fine. I thought everything was ok. Things were good now!"

Emma kneeled down beside him. "Henry, things are good. This doesn't change anything. Your mom and I are still friends. Just because she's going out with Robin doesn't mean we can't be friends anymore."

"But it means you can't be _more_ than friends. It means you can't be together. Tinker Bell was wrong, Mom. You don't belong with Robin! You belong with Emma!"

Both women were completely shocked. Regina moved to kneel down with him next to Emma. "Henry, Emma and I…we…we're just friends."

Emma suddenly found a war of emotions going on inside of her. She fought hard to stay quiet and see what Regina had to say for them.

"You're just friends _now_ but that doesn't mean you won't be together in the future."

"Henry, sweetheart, listen to me. Your mom and I will always be family because we share you and because we're friends. _If_ I decided to date someone, it doesn't mean we couldn't still have family meals or family outings together."

Henry growled in frustration, "That's not the point! You're going to take away Emma's happy ending…and yours!"

"Henry, I'm not her happy ending! If Emma and I were together, it may not end well and not only would she get hurt, but so would you…more than you're hurting now. I won't risk that."

Emma looked at her confused. Before she could ask for any kind of clarification, Henry had another outburst.

"I won't let you ruin this family!" Storming of towards his room, he slammed the door shut and locked it behind him.

"Henry!" Regina ran after him and knocked on his door. She called out to him several times before giving up. She was more than distraught. Henry hadn't spoken to her this way since he first found the book and attempted the break the curse. Had he lost faith in her again? She couldn't bear that thought. Running a hand through her hair, she walked toward a silent Emma. Emma was completely lost in thought and didn't look pleased herself. Before Regina could ask her what she was thinking, the bell rang again.

"Dammit!" She ran down the stairs and opened the door to a smiling Robin.

"Regina! You look lovely."

"Robin, I'm sorry. I have to cancel our plans for this evening."

His look was that of concern and disappointment. "Is everything all right?"

She sighed heavily. "It's Henry. He's very upset and I need to stay with him to sort it out."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, thank you. I'll see you my office on Monday."

Robin nodded understanding that children came first. He was still a bit disappointed that there was no offer for a raincheck. Instead, he accepted the situation and again bowed out gracefully. "I'll see you then. I hope your boy feels better soon."

"Thank you. Goodnight."

Closing the door, Regina sighed in relief that she didn't have to face the night out alone with him. She hadn't realized until that moment how uneasy she really was about it all. In the next second, her eyes searched for Emma at the top of the staircase.

"Emma?"

She looked down at Regina but remained silent.

"Do you want to have a drink in my study while we figure this out?"

Emma considered her offer for a moment and only responded by descending the stairs, following Regina to the study. Emma's silence made Regina more uneasy than anything else had that entire day. Regina moved straight toward the decanter of whiskey, pouring them each a glass. As the door closed behind them, Emma spoke up.

"What was that about?"

"I have no idea."

"Not Henry…"

Regina turned to her, handing her the drink with a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"That excuse you gave Henry for why we can't be together."

Taken back by her words, Regina's mind began to race. "Emma, is that not the same conclusion we came to the other day when we discussed this?"

"Are you saying that the only reason we aren't together is because you're afraid we'll get hurt?"

Regina let out a desperate whimper as she searched for words. "Emma, I really didn't consider this an option. I thought we made that clear."

"Did we? Because I'm not so sure anymore."

Regina sat down abruptly on the couch as she mumbled to herself in frustration, running her hand through her hair, "Jesus Christ…"

"Picking up the colloquial phrases of the new world I see. I don't know that he's gonna help us right now."

"Emma what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say the fucking truth, Regina! All of it!"

"I thought I did! Why the hell is everyone angry with me all of a sudden!?" She was in tears now. "No matter what I do, no matter how fucking hard I try, I always seem to 'ruin everyone's happiness.' I don't know what you people want from me anymore! I don't know what to do!"

"Just follow your heart and be honest, Regina! What do you want!?"

"You said it was a drunken mishap, Emma! Remember? You're the one who qualified what this is, so you don't get to stand here and act like I broke your heart!"

"Maybe we're both guilty then. What difference does it make if I own up to anything if you won't do the same?"

"You tell me, Emma. You want to act so high and mighty, you want to be Princess Charming, then go ahead! You start spitting out some honesty!"

"Fine! It wasn't some drunken mishap. I think I want you and it scares the hell out of me. Thinking about you and Robin for the past week has driven me crazy inside and I didn't know why at first. I just know that I can't stand the thought of you with anyone else, sharing what we share. I hate the thought of anyone being closer to you than I am. I want to be the one who puts those smiles on your face, who comes home to our family. I see you too, Regina! I saw you first! And no matter what you say, Henry is right about one thing. We do belong together."

Regina stood trembling before her, tears running down her face. Everything she longed to hear and everything she was afraid of was right in front of her. "I can't do this, Emma."

It was Emma's turn to let the tears flow freely now. "No. You don't get to run away from this now. You don't get to run away from me. It's your turn, Regina, so stand here and face this. Tell me how you really feel."

With her arms wrapped tight around her, she tried desperately to hold herself together as her voice wavered. "I think this is a mistake."

Emma shook her head and took a step back from her her tears increased. "You're going to wake up one day scared and alone, Regina. You are such a hypocrite! You sit there and lecture me about not letting fear make you run from something or miss out on something and yet you do just that! You're sad, Regina. No matter what you've gone through or how far you've come, you just keep making the same stupid mistakes and ripping people's hearts out! And it's not out of power, revenge, or evil. It's out of pure fucking misery and fear. You wallow in it and if you don't stop at some point, you'll continue to lose everything that means anything to you until you are nothing."

Regina couldn't move. She could hardly breathe. Emma's words stung her in a way she'd never felt before. In one night, the two people she cherished most in the world, the only two who believed in her and loved her had looked at her as if she were the Evil Queen once again. She was losing it all over again. _This is what happens when you love…when you try to be happy…it never lasts._

"Fine. Then take Henry and go. You won't have to worry about me destroying anything ever again."

Emma grabbed her arm forcefully as she turned away from her. "No. You don't get to run away from this. If you leave right now and you turn your back on him…if you turn your back on me…we may not be able to go back."

Regina swallowed the sob that rose up in her throat and pulled her arm away from Emma before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

"REGINA!"

Emma threw her glass across the room, shattering it against the wall. She fell to her knees and sobbed angrily hugging onto a couch pillow before exhaustion overtook her. In the vault, Regina stood crying in front of her mirror watching Emma and her son. What had she done? What could she do? Had she truly lost everything? Was she truly destined to always be this cursed, destructive woman? She sank into the floor, leaning back against the wall as she lost herself in thought. In that moment, Regina felt numb, empty, and raw. The only thing she had left in her was the whisper of a name on her lips.

 _Emma._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello, all! I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all your feedback and support with this story. This is my first Once fanfic and I have been loving this journey. While the following chapter is quite a roller coaster, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have knowing there's a happy ending around the corner.

Chapter 4

Emma grabbed her coat and her keys from the desk as she headed out of the station. "I'm going out on patrol."

David gave her a concerned look, but nodded knowing she wouldn't want to talk about what was happening. He had learned that the hard way. Something had obviously happened between Emma and Regina. Not only were Snow and David concerned about what it was doing to their daughter, but also about how it seemed to be affecting Regina and Henry.

Regina spent a couple of days in her vault away from everyone after her fight with Emma. Henry didn't want to admit he was worried about his mom, but he couldn't help checking in on her no matter how upset with her he was. When Regina got his text, her heart leaped.

 _Mom, are you ok?_

 **Henry! I'm here. I'm so sorry. I miss you so much.**

 _Where are you?_

 **In my vault.**

 _What are you doing?_

 **Just thinking. I thought it would be best to give you some time.**

 _Oh. Ok then._

 **Henry?**

 _Yeah?_

 **I love you.**

Her heart beat loudly in her chest as she waited for a response from him. Every second that went by, her heart broke a little more. When she received his response, it shattered.

 _Mom loves you too._

Regina burst into tears. It took her a few minutes to calm herself enough to respond to him.

 **Henry, do you see how hurt everyone is now? This is what I wanted to avoid. If something went wrong between us, I knew we would all be hurt and upset with one another…especially you. I don't want to lose you, Henry. I can't lose you again. I love you more than anything.**

 _But you didn't even give it a chance. How do you know it would end badly?_

 **Because I don't know how to have a happy ending. It just doesn't work for me.**

 _Because you didn't have Emma!_

 **Henry, may I at least talk to you about this in person? Please?**

 _Fine._

In an instant, Regina appeared in a cloud of purple smoke next to Henry upstairs at the loft. A weak smile finally graced her features as she looked at her son. Tear filled her eyes as she put a hand to his cheek and whispered his name. Henry sighed.

"Mom, you have to give Emma a chance."

"Henry, it's not that simple."

"Yes, it is! Remember when I was little and wanted to invite Timothy over? I was afraid he wouldn't want to be my friend and you said I had to take the chance. You said if I didn't ask him, i'd never know and I'd lose out on a friend anyway. You told me if he didn't want to be my friend, I didn't need him and I'd find better friends."

"I remember. But Henry, this is more complicated than childhood friendships."

"Stop making excuses. Stop running away. Please."

The pleading look he gave her broke her heart. She sank down onto the bed with a sigh. "Even if I wanted to, she's really angry with me. The things she said to me…" Tears ran down her cheeks at the memory of it.

"She was just upset. She thought she was losing you. Give her a chance. Give yourself a chance."

Regina let her forehead rest against Henry's as she covered his hand with hers. If she couldn't do it for herself, she had to at least do this for Henry. She brought her hand up under his chin and kissed his forehead before getting up to leave.

"Ok, Henry. I'll try."

…..

Emma had driven around town more times than she could count. By the time she was sick of driving, she found herself at the docks. Pulling over, she gathered up some rocks and chucked them into the harbor to release her frustration. That frustration only grew when she heard a familiar, unwelcome voice behind her.

"What did those stones ever do to you, Swan?"

"I'm not in the mood, Killian. Go away."

"What's wrong? Regina finally showing her true colors?"

Emma whirled around in a blind rage, her fist raised as her caught hold of her arm to stop her from delivering the blow. His other arm wrapped around her waist to steady her.

"Easy now, Swan! It's all right. You're not the first to be burned by her, and you won't be the last."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear another word! You don't know anything about her or what happened, so just stop it!"

Emma tried to push away from him with all her might but he held onto her. "Emma, listen to me. I'm not trying to hurt you. I'm trying to protect you. You don't know her the way I do. I didn't want to see you hurting like you are now."

"I'm fine!"

"No, you're not! You just don't want to admit I was right!"

"You weren't right! You weren't! I'm fine!" Emma hit her fists against his chest repeatedly as if to emphasize her point. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she let herself fall against him. He wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"It's all right, Emma. It's going to be all right. I'm here."

She wanted to keep fighting him. She wanted to argue, but she was exhausted. All she could do was cry out everything she'd been holding in since their fight.

By the time Regina had located her, she found Emma on the docks crying in Killian's arms. Her heart wrenched at the sight. Not only had Regina caused her such pain, but Emma had sought comfort with the pirate who was set on turning Emma against her. A fear raised up inside of her hoping it wasn't too late. As she took a deep breath and stepped towards them, she was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of Killian bringing Emma's lips to meet his. Regina's heart stopped. It was too late. She'd lost her. In an instant, Regina disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Emma soon realized what was happening and brought her knee up swiftly to collide between Killian's legs. The pirate doubled over in pain, falling to his knees.

"You smug bastard! Stay the hell away from me!"

"Emma, wait," he called, unable to run after her.

There was no stopping her. Emma got back into her cruiser and sped off towards the station.

…

Regina paced back and forth in her vault, sobbing. The sight of Emma kissing someone else was hard enough, but the fact that it was Hook made things even worse. He had succeeded in turning Emma against her. Perhaps Emma wasn't in love with her after all. The pain of yet another love lost was more than she could bear at this moment. Regina was angry with herself for being weak enough to fall in love again. _Love is weakness._ Between disgust and heartache, she didn't want to feel anything at this moment. Taking her heart out of her chest was one thing, but it wouldn't be enough to dull the pain. Rummaging through her trunk, she found the ingredients she needed: a single drop of sleeping curse, sea water, and toadstool. It was a mixture Regina hadn't allowed herself to use once she'd seen what it had done to Maleficent. However, as far as Regina was concerned, she'd already let herself become much weaker than she said she ever would again. She felt like she had hit the bottom. Now, there was no option to turn to darkness, vengeance, and power because that would cause her to lose Henry. Her wings had been clipped. She felt caged and raw. Once the mixture was complete, she found a needle and dipped it in the bottle. Staring at it for a long moment, she acknowledged what her life had become. With a heavy sigh, she pricked her thumb and sat back as the magic flowed through her. She felt herself become heavy and numb. _Takes the edge off, indeed._ Regina lounged stoically in her vault for the better part of two hours before she had the energy to move again. She pocketed the vile and the needle with a nod, assured that this handy new elixir would be enough to help her through the days to come. She would have magically transported herself home, but the potion caused her to be too sluggish and unfocused to do so. Instead, she began the slow walk towards Mifflin street.

…..

Henry jumped up anxious to see what Emma's mood was going to be like as she walked through the door. The way she threw her keys on the table and slammed her coat into the coat rack was not a good sign. Henry sighed and shook his head.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. What happened? Did you run into Mom?"

Emma shot him a look. "No. Of course not. She's too much of a coward to come anywhere near me."

Henry's heart sank. He was sure Regina was going to talk to her. She promised. Something was wrong. Without a second thought, he put on his shoes and grabbed his jacket heading for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to check on something. I'll be back later."

Henry ran all the way to his mother's mansion. As soon as he burst through the door he tried calling out for her. Frantically, he started checking all the rooms in the house before he found her slumped against the couch in front of the fire place, whiskey in hand.

"Mom, what are you doing? I thought you were going to talk to Emma."

Regina sighed, not looking away from the fire. "It's too late, Henry. She's with Hook."

"Wait. What are you talking about?"

"I found them kissing on the docks right after I left." Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the memory of it.

"There has to be some mistake. Emma doesn't love Hook. She loves you!"

"Henry," she pleaded, "I appreciate you wanting to see me happy, but you have to let this go. I was never meant to have that kind of love…not after I lost Daniel."

"Mom, you can't just give up like this."

She sighed and took a big gulp of whisky from her glass. "I don't know what you expect me to do."

Henry looked at her suspiciously. Something was off about her and the way her words slurred. He took the glass away from her and threw it's contents into the fire.

"You're not just going to sit here and get drunk. That's stupid. It won't solve anything."

Regina gave him a hazy smile. "My little hero. I raised you well after all. At least I did something right."

Henry went to the kitchen and poured her a glass of water. When he handed it to her she looked at it with disdain and sighed. He sat next to her and pulled out his phone to text Emma.

 _I'm staying with Mom tonight. She's not doing so well._

He hoped that the knowledge that Regina was in trouble would spark enough concern within Emma to lure her over there. His disappointment was evident when she replied.

 **Ok, kid. Let me know if you need anything.**

Emma knew she couldn't be angry with Henry for taking care of Regina. After all, she was his mother too, and Henry wouldn't be Henry if he didn't look out for her as well. A part of her wanted to go over to check on her, but a larger part of her was still too hurt and angry. She knew that if it were a real emergency, Henry would call her. Until then, she was leaving it up to Regina to find her. Emma fell back onto her bed as their conversation replayed over and over again in her mind. She sighed when she heard a soft knocking on her door.

"Yeah?"

Snow frowned a bit at her tone. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Sure. Why not," she answered sarcastically.

"Where's Henry?"

"With Regina," she said somewhat bitterly, the feel of her name on her lips painful.

"Oh…I suppose he isn't angry with her anymore?"

"Guess not."

"Well that's a good thing, Emma. It's good for Henry."

Emma sighed. "I know."

"What happened between you two?"

"I don't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Emma, I know it's hard and I've been trying to give you your space, but I'm worried about you."

"I'll be fine. I can handle it."

"I wish you'd let me help."

"You can't help, ok!? There's nothing you can do. She walked out on me and that's it."

"What do you mean she walked out on you?"

"Henry got mad at her for agreeing to go out with Robin and then I confronted her about her feelings and why we aren't together. She just said she was too afraid and ran away from it like she always does."

"When did you realize you had feelings for Regina?"

Emma sighed, not wanting to think about the beginning of it all when everything was good. "That night we went to the bar. We kissed…"

"Who kissed whom?"

"She kissed me. Then I kissed her."

"Was this before or after Robin?"

"Before she agreed to go out with him."

"Well, did you two talk about your feelings?"

Emma sat up angrily and kicked her nightstand. "Yeah, we talked about it the next morning. She asked me what it meant and I told her it was probably just a drunken mistake…that we were confused. She said that was probably for the best so Henry wouldn't get hurt if it didn't work out."

Snow sighed and brought her hand up to her shoulder. "Oh, Emma…I know you're hurting right now, but I can also tell you're more upset with yourself than you are with Regina."

"I'm not the one who ran away!"

"Are you sure about that? You have a tendency to put up walls, Emma. I've told you that before. It's not your fault. You grew up having to protect yourself that way because you're so used to losing people. For that, I am more sorry than I'll ever be able to express. These kinds of feelings are terrifying to you both because you both have such high walls. It's not going to be easy, Emma, but I think you and Regina have a real chance at happiness if you're willing to fight for it…even if the other is too afraid. There are going to be times when she will have to fight for you and you will have to fight for her. I have to admit I was concerned at the thought of the two of you together. The history there is incredibly complicated. But, I know you and I know Regina. If two people deserve happiness and truly understand each other it's you two. I….I believe in you, Emma. I believe in this special bond you and Regina have. True love isn't always easy…but it is always worth it. Just be brave."

Silent tears fell down Emma's cheeks as she let herself lean into her mother's embrace.

….

A couple of days passed and Emma found herself less angry and more sad than anything. She let herself be open to the idea of running into Regina in town. After a while, she hoped it would happen just so she could see her. She knew if she were to run into her, she'd be ready to do anything to try to right this wrong. However, run-ins with the mayor had become scarce. When she showed up at her office, no one was allowed in, except for Henry. When Emma had sent him a text to check in and see how she was doing, he only told her she was upset and wasn't herself. The thought of Regina upset bothered her, but she was afraid Regina wouldn't want to hear from her at all. After enough time had been wasted staring blankly at the paperwork in front of her she grabbed her phone to try to reach out to Regina herself.

 _Hey. I just wanted to check in and say I'm sorry._

Emma's knee bounced impatiently as she waited for a response. Five minutes passed before she texted her again.

 _Can you just let me know you're ok?_

A few more minutes left Emma without a response and she fell back into her chair with a heavy sigh. Running her hands through her hair, she gazed at the ceiling, pleading. "Please, Regina, just answer me!" As if Regina had heard her, her phone buzzed with a response.

 **I'm fine. Hope all is well with your pirate.**

Emma stared confused and agitated at her phone. "What the hell?"

 _What is that supposed to mean?_

 **Don't bother, Emma. I saw you two together. I just hope you know what you're getting into.**

 _I'm not getting into anything! What the hell are you talking about? I was never with Hook!_

 **Don't you dare try to lie to me! Do you think I'm that stupid!? I saw the two of you kissing at the docks with his filthy hands all over you. Not that it's any of my concern…**

 _I cannot believe this! You actually think I'd be with him!? After everything we've been through!?_

 **As I said, it should make no difference what I think. My only concern with your love life is how it affects Henry, and I don't want that arrogant son of a bitch near my son.**

 _You're unbelievable!_

 **I am!? I seem to be the only one concerned with how my behavior affects Henry!**

 _Fuck you! Don't you ever try to say that I don't care about MY son._

 **Goodbye, Miss Swan.**

Emma picked up the stapler off the desk and threw it against the wall with a growl. She was outraged that Regina would so willingly misinterpret what she had seen and assume Emma's judgement would be so far off. Grabbing her coat, she headed out towards the loft where she could let out her aggression on her punching bag between shots of tequila.

Regina wiped angry tears away from her cheeks as she moved from her desk to grab her purse and coat. As she left the office, she informed her secretary she was going home for the day, walking away before the girl could comment. As soon as she got home, she grabbed her vile and needle and pricked herself once more. Her thumb had become numb to the sensation, she realized as she ran her index finger over it. With a sigh of relief, she poured herself a glass of wine and slipped off her heels. Draining half of it's content, she retrieved the bottle and brought it with her to sit next to her as she sank into the couch. This had become routine for her. Her conversation with Emma ran through her mind again, causing her to release one of her fireballs with fury into the fireplace. She was feeling too much still. Her tolerance to the potion was building. Frustrated, she grabbed the needle and pricked herself once more. By the time Henry came home, Regina was completely strung out on the couch. He had never seen her that bad before and immediately started to panic. He tapped her cheek anxiously.

"Mom? Mom!"

Regina stirred and barely lifted her lids to look at him. Her speech was slurred and heavy. "Henry…"

"Mom, what did you do?"

Regina's head fell to the side as she was unable to hold it up for very long. "Just taking the edge off…"

Henry grabbed her phone from her hand to call for help, but stopped once he saw the conversation window with Emma open. After reading what had happened, he was even more worried wondering if they would ever fix this. He took Regina's arm and slung it over his shoulder as he pulled her to stand.

"Come on, Mom. I need your help. You can do this." Regina groaned helplessly as her head hung forward. "Mom! Please!"

Seeing she wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs that way, Henry gently lowered her back down on the couch and called Emma.

"Mom!"

"Henry? What's wrong?"

"I need your help. I need you to come over to Mom's house right now. Hurry!"

"Ok, I'll be there in ten minutes."

Emma raced toward the mansion as fast as her yellow bug would take her. Once she arrived, she didn't bother knocking on the door. As she burst in, she called out for Henry and ran towards the study once she heard his voice. "In here!" Once Emma was in the room, she saw Regina nearly passed out on the sofa and ran to her side.

"What the hell happened to her?!"

"I don't know. I know she's been drinking, but I think she's been taking something else too…" He held up the vile.

Emma's expression steeled as she tried to contain her rage. "Okay, help me get her up."

Henry nodded as they supported Regina on each side. They slowly headed up the stairs with her as Regina groaned unconsciously. Once they made their way to the bedroom, Emma sent Henry to the kitchen for some water. She looked down at Regina lying helplessly on the edge of the bed and shook her head angrily.

"This is just perfect. You get to judge me for shit I didn't even do but you think it's ok to let our son deal with an intoxicated mother!? Wake up, Regina!"

Regina wrinkled her brow and groaned. "Don't yell."

"Oh I'm gonna yell. I'm going to be yelling at you for the next fifty years for putting him through this! What the hell were you thinking!?"

"Pissed off Savior…" Regina slurred with a smirk.

Emma's frustration renewed, she hoisted Regina up off the bed and carried her into the bathroom. Carefully, lowering her into the shower, she let the cool water rain down on her full blast. Regina jumped in an instant and yelp at the cold sensation.

"Emma! What-"

"Wake up!"

"I'm awake! What the hell!? Turn it off!"

"No! Not until you sober up!"

"Turn it OFF," Regina growled.

Emma switched off the water and stood glaring at Regina with her arms crossed. Regina wiped her hair and the water away from her face before glaring back at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Getting you to wake the hell up!"

"Why are you in my house!? Get out!"

"I came here because Henry called me for help! I can't believe you! You sat there preaching to me about how my behavior was affecting our son, and you're content to let him deal with you becoming a fucking junkie?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. It just helps me sleep."

"Bullshit. Henry isn't staying here with you."

"I'm not leaving her alone like this!"

Emma whirled around at the sound of Henry's voice and her expression softened. "Henry, you don't need to be dealing with something like this on your own."

"She needs help! I'm not leaving her!"

"I'm fine," Regina said as she attempted to get out of the tub.

Henry rushed to her side to help her. "No you're not, mom. I know this is hard and I know you two are hurting, but this has to stop. You can't keep doing this! Both of you! Just talk to each other."

"I don't think that's a good idea, kid."

Regina nodded. "Something we can agree on."

"Fine. Then I give up on both of you."

Both women called out for him as he walked out. They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Emma left to follow him. By the time she was outside, there was no sign of Henry. She got into her car and let her head fall against the steering wheel as tears poured out. The sight of Regina nearly passed out on that couch scared the hell out of her. She never wanted to be that close to losing her. Knowing Regina was in so much pain only made Emma hurt even more. She had no idea how in the world things had gotten so out of hand, and was even more lost on how to fix it.

Henry ran straight to the library to find Belle at the circulation desk. She was the only one he could truly trust who might be able to help him accomplish what he needed.

"Henry! How are you?"

"I need your help."

"Oh? What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's my moms. Things are bad and I need to do some serious intervention to help them."

"Well, how can I help?"

"I need you to help me make a sleeping curse."

Belle looked at him anxiously. "Henry, that's powerful, dark magic. I'm not so sure-"

"It's the only way. Please. You're the only one I can trust who will help me use this kind of magic for good. I've put a lot of thought into this and I know it will work. I know the curse will be broken."

Belle gave it some serious thought and sighed. "Okay. How do you plan on delivering the curse?"

"I want to inject it into a pastry."

"Sounds like you've learned a lot from your mother."

"Enough to know how to use dark magic for good."

"I hope you're right, Henry. If this doesn't work…"

"I know it will."

"All right. Let's go to Rumple's shop. He should have what we need there."

"Ok, but promise me you won't tell him. If he asks, you're helping me with a science project or something. This has to be our secret."

Belle nodded, unfortunately knowing all too well that Rumplestiltskin wasn't the least trustworthy person in Storybrooke. It was late into the evening by the time they had finished preparing the sleeping curse. Henry had gone to Granny's to get the apple doughnut he had planned on injecting the curse into. With all the care in the world, Belle carefully transferred the potion to the pastry and placed it gently in the bag for him.

"I hope this goes the way you planned, Henry. Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes. It's the only way I can help them. They need something big to see past their issues and work through them. They need to witness the undeniable truth of their true love. It's the only way."

Belle nodded and caressed his shoulder. "If you need anything, Henry, please call me."

"I will. Thank you for your help."

"Anytime."

Henry walked back into the mansion to find everything was quiet. He made his way into the kitchen and found his mother sitting at the island with a cup of coffee in hand. She was in her pajamas and bathrobe. Her eyes were swollen from crying. A sob tore from her throat when she looked up and saw him standing before her. "Henry!"

She got up and ran to his side, taking him into her arms. "Henry, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

Henry held her tight, his heart breaking for her. He had never seen his mother as vulnerable as she had been in the last week. It terrified him. "It's ok, Mom. I'm just glad you're ok."

She placed several kisses on top of his head. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what I would do without you. I love you so much. I'm so sorry."

Henry pulled back to look her in the eye. "Mom, it's ok. It's all going to be ok, I promise." He took her hand and led her back over to the island, placing the paper bag on the counter. "I brought something I thought might cheer you up."

Regina smiled at him weakly as she watched him remove two doughnuts from the bag. "There's an apple one for you and a chocolate iced one for me."

"Thank you, Henry. I think I'll save this for breakfast in the morning."

"Come on, Mom. It's just one doughnut. We'll cheers and eat them together. Everything is going to be ok, I promise. Do you trust me?"

Regina reached out to touch his cheek. "Of course I do, Henry….more than anyone else in the world."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Henry."

He held his breath as he watched her take the first bite. She smiled at him as she chewed and swallowed. A moment later, he saw her eyes become vacant and he rushed to her side to catch her as she collapsed on the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Henry gently lowered his mother to the floor and tucked his jacket under her head. Nervously, he checked to make sure she was still breathing and let out a sigh of relief. She was still alive, but seeing her collapsed on the floor this way made him anxious. Henry grabbed his phone and called Emma. He'd had about twenty texts from both of his mothers wondering where he'd been. He knew she'd answer her phone immediately waiting to hear from him.

"Henry!? Where are you? Where have you been!?"

"Mom! I need you to come back to Mom's! She's collapsed in the kitchen and I can't wake her up! Please help me!"

"Stay right there, Henry! I'm on my way!"

Emma whipped her car around in a U-turn. She'd been patrolling the streets and all the usual places trying to find him that night. Her heart was racing and her stomach was turning at the thought that Regina was in trouble once again. Emma hit her steering wheel with the palm of her hand, sobbing in anger with herself. What was she thinking? She never should have left her in that condition. She should have stayed with her and told her how much she loved her. She should have stayed and fought for her. She should have made her listen to the truth of what had happened between her and Hook that day at the docks. Her foot pressed the pedal to the floor while she prayed she wouldn't be too late. Her car came to a screeching halt in front of the mansion. Once again, Emma found herself running into the house. She went directly to the kitchen where she found Henry hovering over Regina's non-responsive form. Her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Oh my God! Regina!" She gently shook Regina's shoulders and felt for her pulse.

"Mom, you have to help her!"

Emma looked at him desperately. "Ok. It's gonna be ok. I'll try."

She held out her hands over Regina and closed her eyes as she concentrated her magic over her. After a few moments, Emma gasped and dropped her hands. "It's not working! I can't break it! I think she put herself under a sleeping curse."

"You're magic isn't going to break the curse that way."

"You have to wake her up, Henry."

"No. I can't do it."

"Henry," she cried out desperately, "we don't have time for this! Wake her up! She needs true love's kiss!"

"I know! That's why you have to give it to her!"

"Henry, for God's sake! We don't even know if I am her true love. Please! Just wake her up!"

"No, Mom! You can do this! You need to start believing in your love! Start believing in her. Fight for her. Fight for you both."

Emma choked out a desperate sob as she looked down at Regina. She looked so peaceful and so far away from her. All Emma knew was that she wanted her back. She needed to see those deep brown eyes staring back into her soul. Henry put his hand on her shoulder.

"You can do this, Mom. I believe in you."

Emma pulled Regina up towards her and cradled her head in her arm. She let her other hand come up to brush her hair from her face and cup her cheek. She allowed herself to fully experience what it was like to hold Regina this way. She'd wanted to hold her, and touch her in such a loving way for so long now. Her touch remained delicate and caring as she caressed her cheek. She let herself remember all the good moments they had shared before everything went wrong. She remembered lying in bed next to Regina that night, playing with her hand as they talked into the wee hours. It didn't take long for her to feel all that love for her queen swelling within her heart. A single tear escaped her eye as she whispered her name.

"Regina…I love you."

Emma pressed her lips against Regina's and let all the love in her heart flow through her. Anxiously, she pulled back and looked down at Regina expectantly. Her heart began to race when Regina remained unresponsive.

"Regina! Wake up!" She began shaking her desperately. "No! No! Henry! Kiss her! Help her!"

Henry panicked. "It was supposed to work! Mom! Wake up! Emma you didn't believe! You have to believe!"

"Regina! Come back to me! Come back to me and let me love you! Come back and forgive me or hate me! Just come back to our family, Regina, please," she cried desperately.

Emma crashed her lips against Regina's once more with all the passion she could muster, and a wave of magic swept over them, stronger than any they had felt before. Regina's eyes began to slowly open, giving Emma a confused look. "Emma?"

"Oh, thank God," Emma exclaimed, kissing Regina again. "Don't ever scare me like that again! What were you thinking!?"

"What?"

"Mom…" Henry began.

"You put yourself under a sleeping curse!? Why would you do that to me, to Henry! We need you! What if it hadn't worked!?"

"I didn't put myself under a curse. I don't know what happened. All I remember is sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee…"

"You didn't take any more of that stuff?"

"No. I stopped after you and Henry left."

Emma helped her sit up while still keeping her arms around her for support. "I don't understand. Who would have done this to you?"

"Wait…you woke me up?"

Henry sat back nervously as he watched their exchange and remained quiet. Emma smiled at her. "I did…"

"You…you broke the sleeping curse. You…you kissed me?"

"I love you, Regina."

Tears flowed freely from her. "Emma, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I was so scared. And then when I saw you with Hook…"

"I wasn't with Hook, Regina. You must have left before I kneed him in the balls."

"You what!?"

Emma laughed for the first time in days. "Yeah…he was on the ground for quite a while, I assume. That's where he was when I left him. Counting his jewels."

It was Regina's turn to laugh, as she framed Emma's face and kissed her. "I love you."

Emma gave her a teary smile. "I love you too."

"You don't think Hook did this, do you?"

"Uh, Moms?"

Regina turned and framed his face. "Henry! Oh, Henry, I'm so sorry…"

"Wait. Mom, it's ok. Listen to me. I know who did this."

"You do?" Emma asked.

Henry nodded shyly. "I did it."

"You did what!" they both exclaimed in unison.

"I'm sorry, Mom. It was the only way I could get the two of you to believe. I didn't want you to get hurt. I knew Emma would break the curse. I didn't know what else to do. You guys were starting to scare me. It was getting out of control. I had to do something drastic."

Emma was shocked. "Henry, I can't believe you would do that to her! You used dark magic on your mother!? She could've been lost to us forever! What if it hadn't worked? What were you thinking!?"

Regina felt Emma's hold on her tightening, and she brought her hand over hers in an effort to calm her. "Emma…it's all right."

"No it's not! I almost lost you," she cried.

"But you didn't. You saved me." She turned to Henry. "I know you weren't trying to hurt me, Henry, but that was very dangerous. I don't want you using dark magic ever again. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Now, I need you to tell me how you got your hands on a sleeping curse to begin with." The fear she felt for his answer turned her stomach.

"I convinced Belle to help me. Please don't be mad at her! You have to promise not to take it out on her."

Regina sighed in relief. "While I'm not going to promise not to have a word with her, I'm just glad you didn't make a deal with Gold."

"Of course not. I'm smarter than that."

Both women shot him a look that made him blush. "Ok, so maybe I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but it worked, didn't it?"

Regina sighed and pulled him close. "You're lucky I love you more than life itself."

Emma held both of them in her arms, vowing to herself she'd never let them go again. Henry helped her get Regina to her feet and up the stairs once more. Regina sat on the edge of her bed and ran her hand through her hair. "This feels like the longest day."

"Tell me about it," Emma laughed. "You need to get to bed, Kid. Everything is gonna be fine."

Henry nodded and hugged Regina tight. "I'm glad you're ok, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," she said as she kissed him.

Emma walked him to the bedroom door. "You're not leaving, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here to look after your mom."

He smiled and hugged her tight. "Goodnight, Mom. Love you."

"Love you too, Kiddo."

Once she shut the door, she turned back to look at Regina. All that had happened between them began to fully sink in. Emma made her way to the bed and wrapped her arms around Regina. "I'm staying here tonight."

"Thank you."

"And tomorrow night, if you'll let me."

"I'll let you stay as many nights as you want. Just promise me we'll never get that lost again," she said into Emma's shoulder.

Emma placed a dozen kisses on top of Regina's head before framing her face to look into her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you. We're in this together. You and me. No more running."

Regina shook her head. "No more running."

"This isn't going to be easy, Regina, but I want you. I need you. I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm scared. This is scary as hell for both of us, but nothing compared to the fear I felt at the thought of losing you."

"I know. I don't ever want to feel that again. I was so empty without you."

They kissed each other passionately as if they had been doing it for years. All their love, sadness, forgiveness, and relief went into that kiss. After a few moments, their lips breathlessly parted, and Emma caressed Regina's cheeks with her thumbs as she lovingly gazed into her eyes. She wanted to always remember what the world behind those deep brown eyes looked like. As much as they longed to make love to one another, tonight the need for assurance was stronger than passion. While Regina freshened up in the bathroom, Emma found the t-shirt she had slept in the last time she had stayed with Regina, and discarded the rest of her clothing on the chair next to the vanity. This left Emma in the t-shirt and her underwear. Under normal circumstances, she would have been more apprehensive about such a bold move, but now was the time for steps forward. When Regina came out of the bathroom and saw Emma standing on the other side of the bed waiting for her to get in, she took a deep breath. Emma looked so beautiful in all her simplicity. This is how Emma would look every night at home in her bedroom. The move made by Emma stilled Regina's heart, signifying that this was real. They were really doing this. They were going to be together. Regina laid her robe across the end of the bed and crawled in with her. Switching off the side lamp, Regina snuggled up into Emma's arms. Emma placed a kiss on her head and began to lightly rub her head, back, and arms. Regina wrapped her arms around her and sighed contentedly.

"I feel like I just slept for a year. I'm so tired, but nowhere near sleepy."

Emma chuckled. "I can imagine. It's ok. Just rest and let me hold you."

"I'm sorry, Emma."

"Shh, it's ok. You don't have to say it anymore. It's over. I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I was so hard on you."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not. I was an ass. I should have been more understanding. I was just scared."

"Me too."

"Luckily, tomorrow is Saturday and we'll have the whole day to make it up to each other."

"You're not on duty?"

"Dad said he'd cover me."

Regina smiled and snuggled in closer to her. "Emma, I'm still afraid."

"So am I. But it'll be ok as long as we talk to each other and we're honest with each other. Mom is rooting for us."

Regina raised her brow and looked at her. "Isn't that ironic."

"Yeah. She said it weirded her out at first, but she supports our happiness."

"She'd better."

Emma laughed. "You'll never really get over the joy of holding that over her head, will you?"

"Would you?"

"No. Not if she were responsible for taking you from me. I'd probably go on a rampage too."

A deep rooted fear set in as she held Emma closer. "What if something takes you away from me too?"

"Nothing is going to take me away from you, Regina. No pirate, no mothers, no curse, no monsters. It's just you and me. We can get through anything together."

"Together…I don't know if I'll ever get used to that."

Emma smiled. "I know. But in a way, we have kind of gotten used to it with Henry."

"I suppose."

"We'll get used to this new togetherness too, and it'll be just as strong."

Regina had to ask. "Did you know you would break the curse?"

"The sleeping curse?"

Regina laughed and nudged her. "Yes, _that_ curse."

"I didn't, actually. Henry was the one who pushed me. I was afraid I wouldn't be enough. I thought Henry had to do it."

"You doubted your feelings or mine?"

"I guess both, but more yours."

"Emma, I was a wreck without you. I've never felt so weak and vulnerable."

"Regina, you have to promise me right now you'll never do what you did. I was so scared and so angry seeing you strung out like that. No matter what happens, you can never ever do that again, do you understand? Not to me and especially not to Henry."

"I know. I promise. I'm sorry. I'll have to talk to him tomorrow and apologize."

"It's ok. I understand. But we love you and we need you, ok?"

"I still can't believe I'm hearing those words."

"Well, believe it. You're going to be hearing them every day from now on. I love you, Regina Mills."

She giggled. "I love you, Emma Swan."

They laid together in silence and just held each other all night long until sleep eventually overcame them. They spent the remainder of the weekend together, healing and making up for lost time. Monday morning rolled around and Regina had insisted on Emma staying the night again. Emma was more than happy to oblige. Regina was up first so she could shower before Emma. She packed Henry's lunch for school and finished gathering her things for work while Emma and Henry got ready. They all left early to go to Granny's that morning for breakfast together. The morning crowd was both surprised and relieved to see the Sheriff and the Mayor out and about in good spirits. What surprised them more was how good those spirits were. Emma and Regina had walked in holding hands and sat next to each other in the booth rather than across from each other like they had in the past. To anyone, they looked like a happy family. Emma and Henry had ordered chocolate chip pancakes and attempted to persuade Regina to order the same. However, the Mayor decided to stick to the apple pancakes and gave the other two one of those classic eye rolls as they taunted her with bites of chocolatey sweetness on their forks. Towards the end of their meal, Regina cleaned up the syrup and chocolate on Henry's face in motherly fashion and Emma teased her. She turned to Emma and fussed over her in much the same way, causing Henry to laugh. He was more than relieved to see his mothers together and happy again as they should be. Still, the display had the town buzzing by lunch time. Especially since Emma had kissed Regina under the archway as she left the two of them to get Henry to school while she headed for the station.

When Regina got to the office, she was grateful she had brought coffee along with her. Her lackluster performance in the last week had left her far behind in town-managing affairs. She was more than a little frustrated with herself for being so irresponsible, but she couldn't help feeling renewed and happy knowing her family was whole. She had a family to go home to. She had a son whom she loved and adored, and a woman who loved her. When lunch time rolled around, Regina was overjoyed to receive a text from Emma. It had been a while since she'd enjoyed the pleasure of Emma's texts during the day, and she had missed this feeling.

 _Hey, gorgeous ;) Thought you might like some lunch. Special delivery._

 **Hmm… what are we having today, Sheriff?**

 _Whatever you'd like, my queen._

 **Chicken caesar salad, please.**

 _You got it, babe. See you soon xoxo_

 **Babe? Really?**

 _You know you like it._

 **I'm not sure how I feel about that.**

 _We'll see about that when I see you, baby._

 **I like 'baby' even less.**

 _But you don't dislike it. ;) Like I said, I'm sure I can give you a context in person that you'll enjoy._

 **See you soon, dear. xoxo**

Regina smiled. She did like hearing Emma call her "babe" though she'd never admit it. It was such an Emma thing to do. There was only one instance she could imagine enjoying Emma calling her "baby" that sent shivers down her spine. Regina shook the thought out of her head and pushed herself to focus back on getting through her emails before Emma arrived. When she did arrive, Regina was lost in a very important, detailed email. She hadn't even looked up from her computer to see Emma yet.

"Just a second, Emma. I'm almost finished."

Emma smirked. She was relieved to see the woman she loved back to her old self again. Ever the responsible and focused mayor. There was a reason she was mayor of Storybrooke after all and it wasn't because she put herself in that position with the curse. After Snow's brief stint as mayor, the town was more than happy to have Regina back in the position. Regardless of the terror she unleashed in her reign in the Enchanted Forest, Regina was an incredible leader. Emma set the take out bags and drinks on the conference table and walked over to stand behind Regina's chair. She leaned in slowly as Regina continued typing and brushed her nose against her ear, causing Regina to shiver.

"Mmm, Emma…" She leaned her head to the side to allow Emma better access and continued with her email. Emma smiled, brushing her hair back behind her shoulder and began pressing kisses along her neck. Regina stiffened her back a little and sighed, typing faster.

"Emma…"

"Hmm," Emma purred into her ear. The sound caused Regina's fingers to stop their work and her eyes to drift closed. Emma turned Regina's chair around so that she was facing her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Regina's hand came up to capture Emma's face, desperately sliding her tongue into her mouth. She groaned and whimpered as she felt Emma's knee press between her legs, causing her skirt to rise.

"Ohh…"

"I believe I have an appointment, Madame Mayor."

"Mmm…what would you like to discuss?"

Emma's hands trailed down her arms leaving goosebumps. "There's a tunnel in Storybrooke I need to explore."

"A tunnel?"

Emma kissed her way up and down her neck slowly, nibbling at her ear. "Mhmm…I think it needs my attention…" she said as her hand drifted to tease Regina's inner thigh.

"Oh…yes…I agree. I think you should…get on that right away, Sheriff."

Emma allowed her fingertips to lightly brush across her underwear before removing her hand and whispering into her ear. "Perhaps after my shift is over…"

Regina whimpered at the absence of her touch and scowled at her. "You tease. You'll pay for that."

"I hope so," Emma said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Regina rolled her eyes and pushed past her to move towards the table. In an instant, Emma landed a playful swat against Regina's backside that made her squeal in surprise. Her cheeks flushed instantly as she spun on her heel to glare at the cheeky blonde smirking at her. "You're just begging for it, aren't you?"

"Begging for what," Emma asked with a wink.

"For the Evil Queen to come out and play," she threatened in a deep sultry tone that made Emma's stomach tighten.

"God, yes."

Regina raise her brow, amused. "You're sure about that?"

"Well maybe just you first, Madame Mayor. But I'd certainly love to meet the Queen one of these days. I've seen those outfits and that evil cleavage…"

Regina couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "Just eat your greasy junk before you get more of her than you bargained for."

"Hey! It's not junk. It's good."

"Mhmm…" Regina snatched one of Emma's fries and pressed a kiss to her cheek before sitting down to her salad. "Thank you for lunch."

Emma smiled brightly. "You're welcome…babe."

With another eye roll from Regina, they dug into their meal. Emma told Regina she'd be late getting to her house after her shift because her mother needed her to watch the baby for a while. When they'd finished their lunch, Regina walked Emma to the door and placed a slow, sensual kiss to her lips. "Thank you for stopping by, Sheriff Swan."

"Anytime, Madame Mayor."

"See you tonight," she said in a whisper against her lips.

Emma gave her one more sweet kiss. "See you then."

After Emma left, Regina panicked and ran to grab her phone. Emma couldn't help the smile on her face when she read the text from Regina.

 **I love you.**

 _I love you too._

That smile would stay with Emma the rest of the day.

….

Emma loved spending time with her baby brother, but she began to grow restless the later her parents were. Regina and Henry had finished dinner and cleaned up when she decided to see what was keeping Emma.

 **Still babysitting?**

 _Ugh, yes. I don't know what the hell is taking them so long. I may be late._

 **It's ok. We just finished dinner. Henry is getting ready to pick a movie to watch before bed time.**

 _Ok. I'll try to be there at least in time to tuck him in…and you ;)_

 **We'll be waiting :)**

Emma sighed and sent a text to her parents trying not to sound anxious.

 _Having fun?_

 **Everything is great! How's Neal?**

 _He's good. Drooling away._

 **Wonderful :) He loves you. Thank you for taking care of him, Emma.**

 _You're welcome._

 **Love you!**

 _Love you too._

She sank back into the couch with a grunt. It didn't sound like they were going to get home any time soon. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep with Neal on her chest. She didn't wake up until she felt the weight being lifted from her. David's face was a contortion of concentration as he tried to move the baby without waking either of them. Snow gazed down on them adoringly.

"You two looked so precious! My babies…" she whispered.

Emma sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's just past eleven. Sorry we're a little late."

"It's ok," she said grabbing her phone. Sure enough, she had texts from Regina.

 **Henry's getting in the shower now.**

 **Any sign of the Charmings yet?**

 **I'm going to tuck Henry in. I'll tell him you said goodnight.**

 **Are you ok? Do I need to put another sleeping curse on those two?**

Emma quickly texted her back.

 _Hey! I'm sorry, I fell asleep. They just got back. I may curse them myself. Be right there._

 **It's all right, dear. It's late and you're tired. Just go to bed and get some rest. We can meet you for breakfast in the morning if you'd like.**

 _Are you sure? I don't mind._

 **It's ok, Emma. I'm about to drift off myself. I'll see you in the morning.**

 _Ok. Goodnight. I love you._

 **Goodnight. I love you too. xoxo**

Emma sighed disappointed as she dragged herself up the stairs towards her room. Once she'd changed and climbed into bed, she found herself staring up at the ceiling. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be next to Regina. After debating for a few minutes, she grabbed her phone and sent Regina another message.

 _I can't sleep. I miss you._

 **I miss you too.**

She smiled. _What are you wearing?_

 **Really, Miss Swan?**

 _I'm wearing a white tank top and grey underwear._

 **I'm not playing this game.**

 _Are you wearing lace?_

 **Emma.**

 _That sexy long baby blue nightie?_

 **Emma Swan. Go to sleep.**

 _Oh, come on. Give me something good to dream about at least._

Emma nearly had a heart attack when she received an unexpected picture message. It was a picture of Regina in bed wearing nothing but the t-shirt Emma wore when she spent the night and her underwear. Regina's legs were curled up and she was holding the t-shirt down between her legs as a teasing form of modesty. The expression on her face was pure provocation and desire. Emma's mouth ran dry, while other places…not so much.

 **Sweet dreams, dear ;)**

Not only did Regina look sexy as hell, but her heart melted realizing she had done something so sentimental as sleeping in her t-shirt. She supposed it wasn't technically her shirt, but it had been designated her sleep shirt from day one. Emma turned to her side and snuggled into her pillow with the image of Regina locked in her heart. Soon, she had fallen asleep with a smile on her face.

Regina smiled and shook her head as she put her phone aside and snuggled back into the pillow that smelled like Emma. She felt young again, like she was when she was with Daniel. Being married to Leopold had aged her early. Emma had breathed life back into her in more ways than one. She had fallen asleep with a contented smile on her face, looking forward to another family breakfast at Granny's the next morning. How exquisite it was to have something to look forward to at day's end. She would cherish this hopeful feeling for the rest of her days, and the two who gave this to her.


End file.
